IG Fic Series 2013 Book 3 : Waking Dreams
by Aline Riva
Summary: When ruthless businessman Jax Wilberforce brings his dream machine business to Riverton, the whole town becomes slowly addicted to the ability to live out fantasies. Soon, even those in power are falling under its spell and chaos ensues - and only Inspector Gadget can save the day - if he can break his own addiction to the dreaming machine...
1. Chapter 1

**IG Fic Series 2013 Book 3: Waking Dreams**

**Author Note: This book is the Third book in the TEN BOOK IG 2013 Fic series, and follows on from Book 2: Absolution.**

* * *

**Summary:**

**When the old crumbling Industrial Zone in East Riverton is transformed into a huge leisure complex by wealthy businessman Jax Wilberforce, the regeneration is welcomed - and his 'Waking Dreams" complex becomes instantly successful, allowing visitors to control and live out their wildest dreams – soon the whole town is using the complex, and with encouragement from Taylor Braydon, even Inspector Gadget finds the experience of a three dimensional fantasy world alluring...**

**But the Waking Dreams experience is also addictive – and potentially dangerous, capable of causing hallucinations. Soon Riverton is gripped in a heavy addiction to the complex owned by ruthless businessman Jax, whose plans involve not only manipulating Brenda Bradford into a relationship, but to create dependency on his dream machines in order to financially bleed dry the citizens of Riverton and ultimately take over the whole town. **

**While this is happening, Gadget is shocked to learn Robo Brenda's close friend Cindi has a secret he finds fascinating, but his fascination intensifies with use of the dreaming machine, leading him to develop fantasies that begin to cause tensions with Bess in their once close relationship. He turns to his now close friend Sanford Scolex for advice, but Sanford is more concerned about his son Riley's obsession with being the first recipient of a human body transplant to rid him forever of the cyborg body he detests – **_**if**_** he survives the highly dangerous procedure.**

**When Gadget realizes the dreaming machine complex is dangerous he tries to warn others – but Chief Quimby insists he is more concerned about keeping an eye on the recently reactivated Robo Gadget, and dismisses Gadget's concerns - then Gadget finds out even the Chief of Police is becoming addicted to the dreaming machine – and it becomes clear time is running out and someone has to stop Jax Wilberforce before he takes over the whole of Riverton...**

* * *

**Rated T**

* * *

**Disclaimer:**** I own nothing, this is a work of fan fiction.**

* * *

**Warnings: Some mild language, some scenes that may be considered erotic by some, and also some scenes depicting self hatred and depression - yes, Riley again. Also some violence.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Much change had come to Riverton in the months that passed after the release of Sanford Scolex.

The leisure complex promised by Jax Wilberforce was built up rapidly; where once the crumbling ruins of the old industrial zone had been, now stood wide, tall buildings, behind gates that bore a sign declaring "Waking Dreams".

The place was not yet open as it had taken just over a year to demolish the old to make way for the new.

As Gadget sat parked in the Gadget Mobile at the other end of Riverton Bridge, he looked across the water at the gleaming new complex:

Now he got why Taylor Braydon was so excited about urban regeneration; the East of Riverton had been a decaying ruin before the rebuilding had taken place. Now it seemed as if new life had been breathed into the town.

Seeing the new buildings made him understand the excited look in Mayor Wilson's eyes on the day she had pushed the button to trigger off a series of explosions that began the start of the demolition of the old buildings.

With the decay gone and replaced with such towering structures that caught the light on glass panels as the sun shone down, it seemed as if Riverton was now perfect with none of the old ugliness of the past remaining.

_Much_ _had changed in the last year that had gone by:_

Penny Brown was now Mrs Penny Scolex. Now she and Sanford had a three month old son, Sanford Junior, who they preferred to call SJ. Every time Gadget held that baby in his arms it always struck him as ironic that he had longed for the day to come when he would hold Penny's child, watch that child grow and one day, that kid would call him Uncle Gadget. Thoughts of a future to look forward to had kept him going in the dark times before his transplant. Now he had to smile whenever he thought of how life had turned out:

Yes, he had that child to hold in his arms and one day, he would call him Uncle Gadget.

And that child's father happened to be the man formerly known as Claw...

_But times had changed._

_Sanford was a good friend now._

Life had not worked out the way he had expected it to – but he was happy with it, and Penny and Sanford were happy, and that was all that mattered.

Gadget had long ago come to accept that life did not fit to a carefully plotted course, simply because life got in the way of plans and plans changed – but it had turned out okay.

_He could live with that._

"What are you thinking about, G Man?" asked the Gadget Mobile.

Gadget smiled and looked down at the face on the screen.

"Just life, that's all."

And then he started up the engine and turned the car around and headed back to Riverton as he wondered when the leisure complex would be opening up, because it looked just about ready now...

* * *

Deep within the gleaming new complex that graced the once-ugly and crumbling industrial zone, Dr Brenda Bradford stood in the office of Jax Wilberforce and looked out of the large window.

From here she could see the river and the bridge and beyond it, the town of Riverton.

"Everything seems so small from up here," she remarked.

Then she heard his footsteps on the marble floor as he walked over to her.

"Yes it is rather an impressive view," Jax said, and he smiled as she turned to him.

Jax took off his tinted glasses, slipping them into his jacket pocket. As he stood there in a light brown suit with a silk tie and with such a warm smile on his face, Brenda found herself thinking he was quite a charming man – but definitely a little creepy. Maybe creepy wasn't the right word, perhaps that was a little too cruel. Perhaps _intense_ was the word she was looking for. She wasn't sure but she knew when he looked at her, when he smiled, that look lingered slightly longer than it ought to, even when she did not return the same...

Jax stood beside her and admired the view.

"Yes, it certainly is breathtaking. And I couldn't think of a nicer person to share such a view with, Brenda...you don't mind if I call you Brenda?"

He was doing it again, leaning against the window, a little closer now, speaking so softly and sweetly and fixing her with eyes that seemed to be growing deeper and darker by the minute.

Brenda laughed and tried to keep the conversation light.

"You can call me Brenda, that's fine with me, Jax. Now I'd like to talk to you about why I came over here. "

He nodded and continued to fix her with that intense look.

"Its about the Waking Dreams complex. Chief Quimby asked me to come over here and look into how it works and try it out just so I can explain from a scientific point of view what the machine does and confirm the safety of it. I'm just about the most qualified scientist around here, so I'm the only person in Riverton who the Mayor and the Chief would ask for a favor like this."

Jax frowned.

"Do they not trust my technology? "

"I didn't say that."

"Perhaps they think it's dangerous?"

Brenda gave a sigh.

"No, it's just new and before the public get to try it out, they asked me to test it so I can see exactly what this experience is like."

Jax seemed a little confused by her remark.

"Are you trying to tell me after all the money I've invested in this project, the result isn't trusted?"

"I didn't say that -"

_"You did!" _he insisted, and his eyes widened as he looked at her with a hurt expression.

"I don't believe I'm hearing this! I've sunk millions into renovating the East of Riverton and all the thanks I get is this, mistrust for my efforts!"

"Oh no, its not like that, Jax!" she said at once, "Mayor Wilson and Chief Quimby asked me to come over here and try out the experience just so they knew what was involved. I said I was more than happy to do that because I _do_ trust your technology."

The hurt look in his eyes disappeared at once.

"I would be happy to give you a demonstration, my dear!" he said warmly, and smiled again and led Brenda to the door.

"I will show you what the dreaming machine experience is like" he told her, and they left the office and walked down a long white corridor.

Many doors led off left and right and as Brenda glanced at Jax she was about to ask if the whole complex was designed this way, but he spoke up again:

"Behind each one of these doors is a room containing a dreaming machine. It's locked on the inside via a card which is paid for before the experience begins. So the dreamer has absolute privacy. But when the dreaming time is up, the machine stops and the dreamer wakes and the door to the room unlocks five minutes later. As we are on the top floor I have a control room close by - but there's one on every level."

"Control room?"

Jax had opened up a door but on seeing the look in her eyes, paused to explain.

"Every floor has a control room to ensure the dreamers comfort. I have highly trained staff who will be working in that capacity."

And then he smiled again.

"But only the most privileged of people get to use the deluxe machines here on the top floor - most regular customers will only have the chance to work up to a level three experience, but for the wealthier customer there are higher levels. And pleasure levels of the dreamer can be measured and raised up a little if it's desired. Obviously the top floor offers much higher levels. You could say that's a benefit of being a wealthy client. The rest of the complex is just like this, I have six buildings all containing dreaming machines. There's enough for the whole of Riverton."

He led her into a small room with white walls.

There was a bed in the middle of the room and some heavy machinery was fixed over it, against the wall, right above where the dreamer's head would be. She saw sensors and wires and hesitated as she wondered about something else.

"What's with the sensors? Are they to measure brainwaves or something?"

"It's purely to make sure a dream doesn't turn into a nightmare," he told her, "if we get a signal that a dreamer is in distress we can kill the signal and wake them instantly."

Brenda sat down on the bed.

"A nightmare? I thought it was supposed to be a pleasurable experience?"

"And it is, my dear!" Jax insisted, "Just lie back and let me hook you up. The only reason I mentioned nightmares is because on the higher levels of experience some dreamers might find their dream is a little _too_ real - some people need to be careful what they wish for, Brenda. Not all dreams turn out the way we hope when we can actually _have_ them in another dimension."

He briefly touched her shoulders as he eased her down against the pillow.

She looked up and saw wires trailing down from the dreaming machine.

"I'm going to give you a level five experience," Jax told her as he attached sensors to her temples, "and you can be assured that my technology has no way into your dream – its all between you and the machine. All I get is levels of pleasure recorded from the control room, just to tell me I have a client who is enjoying the experience."

Then he took a small sliver cylinder from his pocket and snapped open the top as he turned a dial in its centre to five.

"Take a sniff of this, it's just a formula to turn up your pleasure receptors in the brain and its -"

"Already been passed as safe, I know – I read the report, it's all natural ingredients."

"Of course," Jax replied, and he held the cylinder closer and pushed a button.

Something cool that smelled like roses hissed out and Brenda inhaled.

At once she felt warm and relaxed and even the intense way Jax was gazing down at her ceased to bother her.

"Just lie back and watch the screen above your head," he told her, "Watch the signal until your eyes feel heavy. And have sweet dreams, Dr Bradford."

The screen flickered on as Jax left the room.

Brenda watched as it showed a picture of blue skies that switched to amber, then to red, then to blue, and then it hit purple and her eyes felt heavy. She took a deep breath as her body began to relax, and then she drifted into a deep sleep.

* * *

Jax Wilberforce hurried into the control room and sat at the controls, switching on the monitor and fixing his gaze on the woman with the flowing red hair who lay on the bed hooked up to the dreaming machine.

_"You are so beautiful,"_ he said quietly as he watched her sleeping, then he placed a sensor on his temple and took a cylinder from his pocket - not the same spray he had given to Brenda, this was the _real_ thing - the result of a lot of chemical technology that had take years to develop, and as he turned the dial up to ten he hesitated, shaking his head as he wondered how he had ever become addicted to such a potentially lethal cocktail of drugs...

Then he hit the button and inhaled, breathing out heavily as the drugs hit his blood stream.

He blinked as the world blurred and then came back into focus and then he keyed in some commands and opened up a second screen.

"Lets see what your sweetest dream is, Brenda..." he murmured, and then he watched as the screen flickered and

grainy images took on solidity, and then with the help of scientific and pharmaceutical technology combined, he saw inside the mind of Dr Brenda Bradford...

_Brenda knew she was dreaming. _

But it was a dream unlike any other – it was real, she felt as if the world was three dimensional. She could see, touch and feel, as if she had simply stepped through a doorway and into another time and place...

At first she had flashbacks:

John Brown after the explosion, then on the operating table as she worked with a team of surgeons to save his life.

Then the scene switched to many months later, John was now Gadget and as he walked into her bedroom fixing her with such a look of love in his eyes, her heart ached; they had never been together, not properly, she had been the first woman he had a relationship with after his transition to cyborg and back in those days Gadget had not been such a confident man, but here, in her dream, he was confident, he wanted to hold her in his arms...

"I wish this was real," she whispered as Gadget's eyes shone with love and he slipped his arms around her waist.

"This is real," he said softly, "I know there was a time when you and me were together but we didn't appreciate it – now we can, we can be together."

Brenda blinked back tears as she ran her hand over his dark hair and looked into his eyes and thoughts she had kept buried deep for many years bubbled to the surface.

"I _never_ stopped loving you! I still love you now, even though you're with Bess, I could _never_ stop loving you, Gadget!"

* * *

Back in the control room, Jax turned up the power that linked him to the machine shared with Brenda and hit some keys to speak through her dream companion.

"Why do you love me?" he said aloud, and then as the power surged he winced as he felt a sharp pain in his temple.

He grabbed the spray and took another hit and his head throbbed but the pain soon passed.

He looked back at the screen and watched.

Inspector Gadget still had Brenda in his arms.

As he spoke, he asked the question:

"Why do you love me?" Gadget said softly.

And Jax turned a dial and zoomed up close on the face of the woman he secretly adored.

"Your courage," Brenda said softly, "your strength, the way you fought so bravely after the explosion...you're such a remarkable man. And when you found out you had to come to terms with your new body you took that so well, you faced it so bravely. And you have such a kind heart. You're a truly good man and an amazing one...I'll love you forever, Gadget."

Her dream image of Gadget smiled back at her.

"I love you too, Brenda," he said softly, and took her into his arms and kissed her, then eased her down on to soft pillows as she clung to him and he began to make slow, passionate love to her.

* * *

Jax watched the flickering images for a moment, then turned away from her fantasies about her lost love as he set the timer, giving her another fifteen minutes before the signal cut off.

Then Jax sat back in the chair at the console and thought about things carefully.

_"She loves his courage...hmm...I shall have to work on that..."_ he said aloud, then he stayed deep in thought as he wondered how he could use what he had learned to capture the heart of Brenda Bradford.

As he thought about it, a sly smile spread across his face and he sat up straight and snapped his fingers.

"That's it!" he exclaimed, "She likes a man who has fought against the odds... I just have to make a few adjustments..."

And he turned from the screen and accessed another, paused for thought and then smiled as he began to produce a false medical record in the name of Jaxon Wilberforce.

"Oh the joys of smart technology!" he said as he worked.

Then he cast a sneaky glance at the dreaming screen, where Brenda was naked on a bed in the arms of her lost love.

"You'll forget him soon enough," he remarked, "when you fall for _me _instead -I know _exactly _what you look for in a man..._thank you for letting me inside your pretty little head, honey.._."

* * *

Gadget hadn't given another thought to when the new complex was opening at East Riverton.

He had turned the Gadget Mobile around and headed off down the long straight road that led into town and suddenly the voice of Sanford Scolex had come through to his internal radio.

"Good Morning Gadget!" he said brightly, "It's another crime free day in Riverton and I'm sat in the control center with nothing to do... the Chief told me not to play with the virtual rockets on the training mode..."

Gadget smiled as he drove along.

"He said the same thing to me!"

"Of course, we wouldn't use this spare time to play with that stuff, would we?"

"Of course not,"Gadget replied.

Then he flicked a switch and looked down at the virtual map.

"I see nothing on my screen."

"That's because I'm not playing with my toys,"Sanford replied.

And then he laughed.

"Well _maybe_ I am..."

Then Gadget saw a virtual rocket heading for the position on the screen where the car was moving along.

He laughed too and his eyes sparkled.

"That's more like it! Let's play, Scolex!"

"I just sent you another one!" Sanford announced, and Gadget sped up, swerving the car left and right on the empty road as he checked the screen and saw the virtual rockets miss by a fraction.

"You lose!" he declared.

"It's not over yet!" Sanford warned him, and an alert came up, followed by a helicopter that swooped low on the screen headed for the car as it peppered the road with bullets.

"Out run it if you can!" Sanford challenged him.

Gadget increased speed, swerved the car and kept going.

"Are you throwing down the gauntlet?"

"Consider it thrown!"

Another helicopter swooped down from behind the car, and Gadget looked at the screen, the back at the road, imagining the scenario in real time.

"You've got me surrounded, Sanford!"

In his ear the voice of his former enemy sounded clearly as he laughed.

_"I'll get you this time, Gadget! I'll send you crashing into a fate worse than death!"_

Gadget fixed his gaze on the road as he turned on the rocket power.

_"Catch me if you're man enough, Scolex!"_

And the car shot off like a blur.

Sanford laughed again.

"I don't think you can do it...I know where you'll end up... a fate worse than death..."

"I've got no choice but to go off the road," Gadget replied, slamming the brakes and spinning the car and hitting the accelerator as the two virtual helicopters headed straight for each other, exploding on screen as the Gadget Mobile went into a skid as Gadget slammed on the brakes again and killed the rockets.

"Oh no!" he yelled, gripping the wheel as his eyes grew wide and the car hurtled straight into the sign that said _Welcome To Riverton._

As the car stopped and Gadget brushed splinters off the shoulders of his trench coat, he looked up at the recently renovated sign... it bore a big image of Mayor Wilson wearing a short dress as she posed provocatively over a smaller image of the town.

The car had come to a stop beneath the Mayors one dimensional image... right beneath her short skirt.

"I _told _you it would be a fate worse than death!" Sanford announced.

Gadget threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"It certainly is – I'm right between the legs of _Mayor Wilson!_"

Through his inner radio, he heard Sanford laugh too.

"Fate worse than death!" he reminded him.

"You're right about that, my friend!"Gadget replied, and laughed again.

"I could kill you Sanford... you're a crazy guy but I love you. And I _will_ get you back for this!"

Sanford chuckled.

"You'll get me next time, Gadget..." he said playfully, "Over and out!"

And the signal fell silent and the Gadget Mobile was complaining, saying there had better not be any scratches on his beautiful paintwork...

Gadget barely heard him as laughed again and felt glad for the friendship he had come to cherish with Sanford, the man who he had come to think of as his closest friend.

"If I detect one single scratch to my paintwork I'm making a complaint!" whined the Gadget Mobile.

Gadget still had a smile on his face as he started the engine once more.

"Oh shut up, Gadget Mobile – don't spoil a great day, I've had so much fun!"he replied, and then he carefully reversed out of the Riverton sign and back onto the road, and then headed off towards town.

* * *

_Brenda was shifted gently from her state of dreaming._

"No, Gadget..." she murmured, turning her head as her hands reached up and clutched at her pillow.

But the feel of his arms around her had faded as sure as the dream world had shimmered and then slipped away.

Brenda opened her eyes to see the screen above her her showing an image of a bright blue sky, she blinked and felt almost instantly alert.

She disconnected the sensors from her temples and sat up, blinking as she looked around the white room and remembered where she was. It was strange, but it felt as if a trace of the dream remained with her, as if it had been stamped into her memory. It had faded, but the memories and the feelings provoked by it lingered with clarity. She blinked again and cleared her vision as tears temporarily stung her eyes and she tried to push away the ache in her heart that still remained for her lost love.

_"It was just a dream,"_ she whispered, _"forget him..."_

And then the door opened and Jax walked in and Brenda got up from the bed.

"Well?" he asked her hopefully, "How did you find the experience?"

And Brenda felt her face flushing as she smiled back at him.

"I had a wonderful dream. It was very real."

Then she paused, noticing Jax was still fixing her with that deep, intense look as he smiled at her.

"Would you like to share it with me?"

She shook her head, her blush deepening as she wished the experience had not been _quite_ so real...

"Oh no, it was deeply personal. But very wonderful. And I feel absolutely fine. "

She paused, knowing she should not be encouraging thoughts of the past in this way, but since the dream it seemed like all of her emotions had been shaken up and turned out of her heart and ended up in a tangled heap.

"I would like to do this again," she said to him, and instantly regretted that statement because she knew she could never be with Gadget - not in the real world, where he was happy with Bess and their own love affair had ended many years before...

"And indeed you shall my dear!" Jax said warmly, "Why don't you stop by in a couple of days time? The complex doesn't open until the start of next week - I have an idea! My apartment is up here on the south wing - why don't you come over the day after next and we can have dinner together and then you can have another try at the machine afterwards? How does that sound?"

Brenda nodded.

"That sounds just fine. Thank you, Jax. I'm looking forward to it."

"So am I." he replied, and as she saw warmth in his eyes she felt a flicker of guilt.

They began to walk towards the elevator and she spoke up again.

"It's very generous of you to let me enjoy the use of your machine like this. Are you sure you don't want me to pay for it?"

He waved his hand as if chasing away her offer.

"I wouldn't hear of such a thing! I would like you to enjoy my machine. I wouldn't dream of charging you for the privilege! I'm also glad you can tell the Chief and Mayor Wilson about your positive experience."

"I can certainly go back with a glowing report," Brenda replied, and the elevator doors slid open and they both stepped inside. Jax hit the button for the ground floor and the doors closed again.

As they began a smooth descent, he turned to her and spoke up once more.

"Actually there's another reason why I invited you for dinner," he confessed, and as he spotted a brief flicker of apprehension in Brenda's eyes he started to put his plan into action.

"I wanted to talk to you about something rather personal...it's a medical matter."

And he paused, ran his fingers through his light brown hair and briefly looked away as if trying to find the right words to explain.

Brenda's eyes at once took on a look of concern. As he looked back at her she was sure she saw deep pain reflected in his expression and her heart went out to him.

"Is there something wrong?"

Jax took a deep breath and shook his head.

"Not now,"he said quietly, "I'll have this discussion when we meet again. It's very painful to talk about."

Then he looked at her hopefully.

"But maybe you can help me - I know you're a cybernetic surgeon, a medical doctor too - I suppose it might help if I have a copy of my medical records sent over to you at the cybernetics center. I doubt if there's anything you can do for me, but would you please take a look?"

Brenda agreed without hesitation.

"Of course I will!" she promised him, "And don't worry - I can see you find this difficult to discuss; once I know all about it I'm sure we can work something out."

"Thank you," he said in a hushed voice, and then managed to smile again as the elevator reached the ground floor and the doors opened.

"I'll look forward to seeing you again," Jax said, "Wednesday, about six thirty in the evening?"

"That sounds fine," Brenda replied, "I'll see you then, Jax."

And as she walked away Jax stood by the elevator, his gaze lingering on her shapely form and the way her pale dress clung to her body.

A slow smile spread across his face as he watched her leave.

"The sooner you fall for my plan," he murmured, "the sooner you'll fall for _me._.."

* * *

_"SCOLEX!"_

The voice of Chief Quimby echoed around the control room and Sanford smirked as he took off his head set and switched off the training mode.

"Sir?"

Quimby had entered the room with his face burning up scarlet as he glared at the man who had once been known as Claw.

"I told you not to play with the virtual rockets!" he thundered, "I don't know who is worse for these childish games – you or Inspector Gadget!"

Sanford tried not to laugh but merriment danced in his eyes as the Chief continued to glare at him.

_"Stop laughing!"_ snapped Quimby.

"I'm trying..."Sanford laughed again, "Sorry, sir...but it _was_ fun!"

"You sent the Gadget Mobile straight through the base of the _Welcome to Riverton_ sign!"

Quimby's eyes were blazing.

Sanford put his hand over his mouth as his shoulders shook and he tried in vain to control his laughter.

_"Gadget wound up right between Mayor Wilson's legs!"_ the Chief added, and Sanford uncovered his mouth and laughed again.

The Chief was still glaring.

"When I say between her legs of course, I mean between the legs of her wooden cut out, not _actually_ between her – _Stop it,_ Scolex!"

Sanford laughed again as he wiped tears from his eyes.

"Oh but it was so funny! Gadget thought so too -"

"And I want no more stupid games with the training simulator!" Quimby said sharply, "I'm serious, Scolex - if there is any more damage caused by you and Gadget treating this equipment like a toy, I'll be taking the money for repairs out of _both_ your salaries!"

Sanford stopped laughing and nodded.

"Of course, Chief Quimby. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"I should hope not!" the Chief added, then he left the room and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Left alone in the control room, Sanford glanced at the pictures that adorned his desk - there was a small picture in a silver frame of him and Gadget standing together; Sanford was rather drunk as he posed with his arm around Gadget, who seemed by the way he was letting him lean to be holding him up. It had been taken just over a year before when Taylor Braydon had thrown a party in honor of Jax Wilberforce and his Waking Dreams venture.

Sanford wondered what the dream machine experience would be like and briefly considered trying it out when the place opened for business.

Then his gaze fell on the larger picture in a dark frame – it showed Penny sat on the sofa by the window holding their baby son in her arms and smiling as he took the picture.

He felt a rush of love for both of them as he lifted the frame and looked at the image of his wife and son.

Then he briefly thought about the dreaming machine once more and instantly brushed aside the thought of trying it out; he didn't need to escape into a dream world.

Perhaps it would have been something he would have needed years ago in those dark days when he had called himself Claw, when his heart had been cold and his world had been lonely.

_But not now._

He had no need of a dreaming machine -he had all he needed to complete his happiness here in the real world...

Sanford smiled at the picture of Penny and his baby son, then he briefly kissed the photo before placing it back on his desk.

He was still smiling as he turned back to the screen on his desk. He gave a contented sigh and spoke quietly, speaking the words that were tied to his heart forever:

_"I love my family so very much,"_ he said fondly, and then he turned his attentions back to work once more.

* * *

It was coming up to noon and Dr Kramer was starting to think about lunch with his close friend Taylor Braydon.

But as he worked alone in his mint green lab at Braydon Industries, he guessed lunch would have to wait.

Taylor had been true to his word, allowing him to work on the cybernetic tissue regenerator project first, and then allowing him as much time he needed to work alone on the possibility of reactivating Robo Gadget.

As he worked on the exposed electronic brain of the android, Kramer thought some more on his best friend:

Taylor was a good man -he was even paying him a full wage to work on Robo Gadget, simply because he felt it was only fair to try and give a _brother android_ a second chance at life.

Taylor and his wife Emma both worked hard for the cybernetics industry; Emma worked at Braydon Industries full time and Taylor divided his working week between Braydon Industries and the free hospital he had founded. He was a generous man, both with his time and his money - and right now Kramer had never appreciated it more, because without his help he would not have had this chance to try and reactivate Robo Gadget.

The android had been fitted with new skin and hair and the head had been attached to a standard android body which was partly covered with cybernetic skin. The body was laid out on the table and covered up to the waist with a sheet. Robo Gadget looked dead as he lay there with his eyes closed. Kramer knew the power was flowing, but even as he cautiously reached in with a screwdriver and tried to tighten a new connection in the water damaged brain, he got a sad, heavy feeling in his heart that Robo Gadget would never activate again.

He had done all he could to write out the bad programming that had been put into him back in the days of Claw – but he didn't know if it would do any good at all - everything seemed pointless when the android remained unresponsive.

Kramer closed the hatch on the skull and pulled across the scalp, joining it along a hidden seal.

"I can't do any more for you, Robo Gadget,"he said sadly, "I'm sorry - I've tried. I just can't wake you up."

And he smoothed down the android's hair and looked at his face, hoping for a sign of life but seeing none.

Then he thought about the news that would cheer him up a little - Robo Brenda was back in town and Cindi was coming to stay with her. Robo Brenda had new plans now she had quit the blue movie business, and Cindi was now sharing an apartment with her right here in Riverton. He was looking forward to seeing Cindi again, he had not forgotten Robo Brenda's blonde friend who had made his heart flutter at first glance...

Kramer took off his lab coat and reached for the phone to call Taylor and ask if he wanted to go to lunch.

_And then it happened._

The android's head turned sharply, his large teeth chattered briefly and he fixed his staring gaze on Kramer.

_"You and me!"_ he gasped_,"We could have ruled the world, Gadget!"_

And then he blinked.

"Kramer?" he said, giving a gasp and blinking again.

As Kramer leaned over him, the android's eyes closed again and he began to breathe deeply as new power flowed through fresh wiring and revived his rebuilt body.

"Robo Gadget?" Kramer said in a hushed voice.

The android continued to breathe, steadily now, in sleeping mode as new programs began to start up and prepare him for full activation.

Kramer's eyes lit up with joy.

_"He's alive!"_ he said excitedly, _"I've done it - Robo Gadget is alive!"_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As the Gadget Mobile slowed to a halt, Gadget looked across the street at two women who were walking by. He watched as the sun caught on mirror-shine metal plating that curved elegantly down their arms in similar patterns, a perfect blend of flesh and metal.

"What are _you_ staring at?" asked the Gadget Mobile.

Gadget glanced down at the face on the screen.

"I was just admiring their metallic art."

"It had nothing to do with their_ short summer dresses_, then?" the car wondered.

Gadget laughed.

"You know I'm happy with Bess. I was just taking a look at their metal work. I like it, I saw a TV show about faux metal plating last night and apparently it's very popular – a cybernetic version of a tattoo."

"But it's just body art," the car replied, "I've heard some people think it's insulting to _real_ cyborgs."

Gadget was still watching the two women as they walked down the street.

"What would you know about body art, Gadget Mobile, you're a _car_!"

"I was just sayin', G Man.."

"Well don't," Gadget replied, "I happen to think it's beautiful."

And as the two women crossed the street and the sunlight bounced off the metal that blended perfectly into flesh, Gadget fell silent as he became lost in his own thoughts:

_He had taken a great deal of interest in watching that report on TV about faux body-plating, which was created by the latest technology, carving the desired pattern into the skin and then filling it with living metal that would instantly and permanently seal into place._

_Gadget had found the idea of the whole procedure- and the result – extremely arousing, although he had kept that secret from Bess. He was sure, although she had understood his little kink for being her patient while she sometimes played doctor, that she wouldn't understand this. She had already told him it wasn't surprising he had come out of his transformation from human to cyborg with a fetish, but if he told her he had dreamed about her having the metallic body art blended in with her own flesh..._

_No. It just seemed too much for her to understand._

Gadget perfectly understood his wish to see her modified; he could make sense of it because he longed for their relationship to go one more step closer to perfection, for her to reflect the changes to his own body – at least it would give him the _illusion_ that he was with someone who had been through the same as he had, someone who understood the level of pain, both emotionally and physically. But he knew it would never happen now because he had fallen in love with Bess, who had no modifications.

_But it didn't stop him dreaming about it, and even though those fleeting fantasies made him feel a little guilty, he was sure there was no harm in losing himself in an occasional erotic moment where he imagined how life could be if Bess was the same as him, if her soft flesh was married beautifully to metal._

_But Bess would never understand that, let alone go along with the idea._

As the two women walked away he sat in the Gadget Mobile with his hands resting lightly on the steering wheel as he gave a sigh.

"Will you _stop_ looking at those women!" said the car.

"I wasn't looking at them, I was thinking about something else!"Gadget replied.

"What?" the car wondered.

Gadget looked down at the face on the screen.

"It's nothing for a car to worry about!" he replied, and then Robo Brenda rushed up to the car and tugged open the door and slid on to the back seat.

_"Hurry up!"_ she called to her friend Cindi, who was staggering in heels as high as Robo Brenda's as she dashed over to join her.

Gadget turned around and stared at the android who had jumped into the back seat of his car with no warning.

"What are you doing?"

"No time time to explain, Gadget – take us over to Braydon Industries!"

_"I'm not a taxi service!"_

"We know that!" Robo Brenda said as she ran her fingers through flame red hair and took in a deep breath - a breath that made her bust shift in a way that Gadget didn't want to think about as she sat there in a skin tight red dress. Her friend Cindi was next to her in a short white dress, looking pretty as the sunlight bounced off her platinum bobbed hair. They were both attractive. _And the last thing he needed after thinking of his fantasies about Bess and living metal..._

Cindi was a heavily modified cyborg, he had heard that a while back – but to look at her, nothing showed to suggest she was anything more than human. He guessed her modifications were hidden. And then he forced himself to stop thinking about what metal or machinery might be inside Cindi, because he was in love and faithful to Bess and it was going to stay that way.

"You'll never guess what's happened!" Robo Brenda exclaimed, "Daddy fixed him!"

"Fixed who?"Gadget asked her.

_"Robo Gadget!"_

She was still excited.

"Isn't that great news!" she exclaimed.

And Gadget briefly recalled the day he had removed the android's head after Claw's programming had caused him to set fire to half of Riverton, and he looked at her doubtfully.

"Are you sure he's fixed? I mean, _is _he reprogrammed?"

"Oh yes. He's no threat to anyone now. Daddy said he's started to function again, but he's still in sleep mode. I just want to get over to Braydon Industries and see him!"

Gadget gave a sigh.

"Okay, I'll take you over there. But _don't_ jump in the Gadget Mobile like that again! I could have had an urgent call from Quimby to say there was a crime taking place somewhere – how do you think he would have reacted if I said I had to run you over to the lab first?"

"Sorry," Robo Brenda said, "but I'm _so _excited...I just got the call and I saw you parked up and -"

"Okay, that's enough. Let's go," Gadget replied, and he started up the engine and turned the car around, heading for the route through town that would lead to Braydon Industries.

* * *

Taylor Braydon stood in the mint green lab with his eyes shining as he smiled a goofy smile.

_"Wow! You brought him back to life!"_

And he patted Kramer's shoulder.

"You've done a great thing for the cyborg race!"

Kramer briefly looked confused, shaking his head as he wondered how Taylor could consider himself a cyborg, let alone consider androids and cyborgs to be one and the same...

"Well, I did all I can," he told him, "but he's still sleeping. It will be a couple of days before he starts to function fully."

"So he's all fixed, then?"

Taylor was looking at him so hopefully.

Then he noticed a flicker of sadness in the eyes of his scientist friend.

"What's the matter? You fixed him, that's good, right?"

"Well maybe not so good,"Kramer admitted, "Robo Gadget's electronic brain is water damaged. The part that's damaged is the area responsible for learning and processing information. He's going to struggle to get along. I can't see him ever living a fully independent life like Robo Brenda."

Kindness shone in Taylor's eyes and what he said next came as no surprise to Kramer, because he knew Taylor well and not a day went past without him making some sort of act of kindness towards others, and now was no exception.

"So maybe you should take some time off work and look after him," he suggested, "I'll still pay you, I'll keep your job open! Just look after Robo Gadget. Maybe he's in better shape than you think."

"He's an android," Kramer reminded him, "I know how much damage has occurred. But maybe in time he can improve."

And he looked down at Robo Gadget, who was on his back and shut down in sleep mode on the table.

"I suppose there's always hope," he added, and wished he could believe in his own words.

Taylor smiled again.

"Let's go out and celebrate!" he exclaimed, "How about we go for a quick -"

"Ice cream?" Kramer said hopefully.

Taylor's eyes shone with excitement.

"Not just any ice cream, my friend" he replied as he put his arm around his shoulder and steered him towards the door, "But the best!"

Kramer looked up at his tall friend.

"Mint chocolate chip?"

"DOUBLE mint chocolate chip!" Taylor announced, "Only the best for us, Kramer!"

And the two men left the lab, and Robo Gadget slept on.

* * *

As the Gadget Mobile drove through town, Gadget glanced back at Robo Brenda.

"Does Kramer know you're coming over?"

"Well no, but I thought it would be a nice surprise!" she said, and giggled excitedly.

Cindi turned and looked at her, reaching for her arm. She was reaching slowly, as if dizzy.

"Take over driving," Gadget said to the car, and turned back to Robo Brenda and Cindi.

"Are you okay?" he asked her blonde companion, but Cindi struggled to focus as she looked towards him, then her eyes rolled up in her head and she started to shake as her fingers gripped Robo Brenda's arm, digging sharply into her cybernetic flesh, unable to let go.

"No she's not okay!" Robo Brenda said, "Oh no, not again, it happens a _lot _these days..."

And she prised Cindi's fingers off her arm, but the young woman just flopped forward and she caught her by her shoulders, holding her upright as she gently shook her and said her name.

Gadget watched in alarm.

"What's the matter with her?"

"Sometimes this fixes it," Robo Brenda replied, and Gadget gasped as Robo Brenda delivered a sharp slap to the side of Cindi's head. Cindi's body jerked back from the force of the blow, then her eyes opened and she looked at her with a glazed expression.

_"Was...was I off...again?"_

Her speech was slurred and she could still barely focus.

"Girl, you've _got_ to get this problem fixed!" Robo Brenda said in a shrill voice as she began to panic on seeing her friend was not reviving as quickly as usual, "You're getting worse! "

"No," Cindi said tearfully as she swayed and leaned against her friend's grip,"I just wanna go home..._home_, that's all, I...I can't...I ..."

Her eyes rolled over white again and she slumped forward as her friend caught her.

"Gadget, she needs help fast!" Robo Brenda said as she held on to her unconscious friend.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Wiring problem."

Gadget turned back to the controls.

"Take us over to the cybernetics center," he instructed, "and do it fast!"

"No problem, G Man!" the car replied, and activated rocket speed.

* * *

Brenda Bradford was in her office when she received a copy of Jax Wilberforce's medical records.

It had been a quiet afternoon so far and with little to do but finish up paperwork, Brenda had made a coffee and sat down and accessed the files that had been sent to her.

As she began to read, compassion filled her eyes and she found herself seeing Jax in a whole new light.

_"Oh my God..."_ she said quietly, _"I had no idea..."_

As she took in the details of his medical history, she started to feel rather bad about the way she had dismissed him as nothing more than a slightly creepy guy who was just a little too intense for her liking:

_According to his files, Jax had been involved in an explosion at one of his research centers twenty years previously, he had suffered dreadful internal injuries and shattered almost every bone in his body..._

Brenda found herself blinking back tears as she read how he had undergone surgery to destroy nerve pathways to permanently block some of the pain he suffered - but his records stated Jax still suffered a great deal of pain every day, and would for the rest of his life.

_In some ways his injuries reminded her of the kind John Brown had suffered so long ago - but Jax had been injured before the birth of cybernetics and the option had not existed back then to have his body rebuilt with new technology. As she went over the details of his injuries again she shook her head, wondering how the hell he had managed to pull through with such severe and terrible damage._

_The outcome of this wasn't hard to work out for someone in Brenda's position:_

_Jax lived with severe pain and would for the rest of his life. If cybernetic treatment had been available at the time of his injury, perhaps he would have had a better outcome, but it was too late now - there was too much damage and scar tissue and any kind of surgical intervention would only serve to make his problems worse..._

"I am so very sorry," she said in a hushed voice.

She thought about Jax some more and could only wonder at the level of pain relief he had to stay on to simply get through each day. Then Brenda considered the sheer size of the massive company he had built up, all his business ventures and the hard work he had taken on despite his pain. It was starting to dawn on her that there was much more to Jax Wilberforce than she had first thought, and her heart went out to him as she came to the conclusion that actually, Jax was a very brave man, and that conclusion made her see him in a whole new light...

Brenda picked up the phone and began to enter his number.

She did it slowly, blinking back tears as her heart went out to him and she wondered how she could have been so wrong about him - there was nothing strange about Jax at all, it was little wonder he seemed so intense most of the time when he had to live with terrible pain. He was obviously determined not to show it, and she hoped that what she was about to say wouldn't come as too much of a shock, but he deserved her honest opinion, and from what she had seen of his notes, cybernetics could not help him now...

The phone rang for a couple of minutes.

Then Jax answered.

"Good afternoon, this is Jaxon Wilberforce speaking..."

As she heard the soft, velvet tone of his voice, she felt an ache in her heart that had not been present before she read his file. Again she wondered how she could have been so very wrong about him...

"Jax, its me, it's Brenda Bradford," she said, still feeling desperately sorry for his situation.

But Jax sounded overjoyed to hear from her again.

"Brenda!" he exclaimed warmly, "I wasn't expecting you to call me again so soon, but it's so nice to hear from you."

"I wish I was calling with good news," she replied, "but I just looked at your medical files and I am so very sorry, but your accident was too long ago, the scar tissue can't be disturbed without making your problems worse. There's nothing I can do for you. Again, I really am sorry to have to tell you that, but it's the truth."

There was a pause, then Jax gave a sigh.

"Oh well, I suppose it was worth a try," he said sadly, "but I do have very strong medication to fall back on. And as for the rest of it all I can say is, I've got used to living with it. I can't remember what it was like to be free of pain. I guess I'll have to accept that's never going to change."

"I am really sorry," Brenda said again.

The tone of his voice warmed a little.

"Don't worry about me, Brenda - I can cope. I've been proving the doctors wrong since the day I was dug out of the rubble after the explosion."

Brenda blinked to clear her vision and took in a deep breath, hoping her sudden change of feelings did not show in her voice as she spoke up again - and she thought once more how much Jax reminded her of Gadget and the courage he had shown while recovering from his own injuries.

"I think you're a very brave man, Jax."

"I've never really given it much thought," he replied modestly, "I just get on with each day. I suppose I'm just glad I'm still here, the pain is a very small price to pay. But it also reminds me just how precious life is. I don't like to waste a moment."

Brenda's eyes blurred with tears again.

"You remind me of someone," she said as she struggled to keep hold of her emotions, "actually, you remind me of Inspector Gadget. He was in an explosion too - but of course, by then the technology was around to repair him with cybernetics. I'm so sorry you didn't get that chance."

"Don't feel bad about my situation,"Jax replied, "I consider myself fortunate – I'm a hugely successful man and I have my new business venture opening next week and on top of all that, I'm looking forward to dinner with you – what could I possibly feel like complaining about? I'd rather be thankful for the positive in my life, Brenda."

"You really are amazingly strong," she replied, "and thank you for sharing this with me – now I know about the past I see you in a whole new light."

"I'm glad to hear it," he told her.

Brenda started to smile as she detected a deepening of the warmth in his voice.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you again," she said.

"Likewise," he replied.

Then she noticed a light flashing, indicating an urgent call was waiting.

"Jax, I'm sorry but I have to go - there's an emergency call coming through."

"Then I'd better get off the line," Jax told her, "I look forward to seeing you again soon, Brenda."

"I'm looking forward to it too," she replied, and then Brenda cut off the call, took in a deep breath, brushed aside all thoughts of how her sudden feelings for Jax had taken her by surprise, and answered the call that was coming from downstairs in the main reception area.

* * *

As they sat in the waiting area and a call was placed through to Brenda Bradford's office, Robo Brenda looked anxiously at Gadget as she kept her arm around Cindi's shoulder.

"She's been getting these weird problems for more than a year," she told him, "I kept telling her to get it fixed, but she hates having any sort of treatment- I think it goes back to after her accident - she finds it rough taking about the cybernetic stuff."

"What do you mean?"Gadget asked her.

"She's a bit like you," Robo Brenda replied as Cindi leaned against her and barely kept her eyes open, "she's very heavily modified. Not quite in the same way as you, but she doesn't like to talk about it, do you Cindi -"

Cindi had fallen limp against Robo Brenda's shoulder.

"Oh my God _do _something!" she shrieked, "My friend has like, _died_ on me or something!"

Gadget leaned closer and said her name. Cindi gave a low murmur, turned her head but did not open her eyes.

Robo Brenda was on the verge of hysteria.

"She's not dead," he promised her, "but we can't wait for her to be moved – I'm taking her up to lab right now."

And he lifted Cindi into his arms and carried her to the elevator. Robo Brenda hit the button and as the doors opened and she followed him inside, Cindi lay limp in his arms but gave another moan and Robo Brenda breathed a relieved sigh.

"She's okay, she's still breathing!"

The elevator began to climb.

"What's wrong with her?" Gadget asked.

"She's got these implants to compensate for damaged brain tissue. They kind of boost her functioning, but one of them stopped working properly about eighteen months ago and she was scared to go and get it fixed."

"Well she has to get it fixed now." Gadget replied, and as the elevator opened up he stepped out as Brenda hurried up the corridor to meet them.

"She's got a malfunctioning brain implant?"Gadget said, hoping he had got it right.

Brenda nodded.

"I know of her – Cindi was one of the first ever patients to receive such extensive internal alterations. She's got three brain implants, too - I've read about her case. She's almost as heavily modified as you, Gadget - at least, on the inside where it doesn't show..."

On hearing those words, Gadget briefly looked down at the unconscious woman in his arms and felt a jolt as he thought about what Brenda had just said..._Cindi was a lot like him?_

"She needs to come straight through to the lab," Brenda told him as she cast a concerned glance at the unconscious woman he carried in his arms.

"I certainly know the way by now," Gadget replied as he hurried towards the doors that led through to the lab.

As Gadget carried Cindi through the doorway, Brenda turned back to her android counterpart, feeling slightly strange to be looking into the eyes of a younger, more provocative image of herself, an image that would never age, an android built at the bidding of Sanford Scolex back in the days when he was known as Claw... Those memories always hit her when ever she ran into her android double.

But as she saw concern in Robo Brenda's eyes she pushed aside thoughts of the past.

"You have to wait outside,"she told her "just take a seat and when I've finished with Cindi I'll let you know how she is, okay?"

Robo Brenda nodded, but the worried look remained in her eyes.

"Okay..." she whispered quietly.

* * *

Brenda went into the lab, hoping she still remembered how these kind of implants were wired into place.

"I've got a system set up for assisting brain injuries via a mesh of small implants that fit across the whole surface of the brain," Brenda remarked as Gadget laid Cindi on the table, "but as yet we haven't had a patient come in whose injuries are severe enough to test it out. But I do know how Cindi's implants work – she's got three internal implants that boost her brain function to compensate for what she lost because of her accident. I'm confident I can open up the right plate and fix the faulty wire. It's probably isolated..."

Gadget barely heard a word that Brenda said; his gaze was fixed on the woman on the table.

He knew he ought to leave the room, but as Brenda unzipped the back of her dress, exposing delicate, slender metal that ran in a strip halfway down her spine, he could not look away.

This was not a cosmetic plate, it did not shine with the same mirror shine gloss of artificial decoration...

Brenda removed Cindi's dress, leaving her in her underwear. Cindi was still on her side, exposed metal gleaming as Brenda spoke up again.

"I'll get her ready and then scan her and see what I can do," she said, and gently slipped her fingers beneath the woman's hairline, sliding off her platinum blonde hair.

Gadget's eyes widened and he swore he felt his titanium heart skip a beat as the room suddenly felt far too hot for comfort...and to his acute shame, that heat was spreading beneath his clothing, all the way down to the pleasure sensors on the plate that covered his groin. He loosened his tie, looked away, but then had to look back, taking in the sight of Cindi lying on her side, her bald head decorated with three strips of shining metal, the center one running from the top of her head and down to her neck, where it joined with a smaller plate, the one that ran down her spine.

_It was a perfect blend of flesh on metal__._

He stepped closer, looking down at her sleeping face as he wondered if his obsession with flesh on metal was driving him insane:

_The poor girl was sick._

_She would probably be upset, too, if she had known he was standing there while Brenda had removed her dress and her wig, exposing all the metal work she hid from the world..._

"Gadget, did you hear me? I said, I need to set up the scanner..."

He looked sharply at Brenda, feeling heat spread through his face as he silently hoped she didn't spot how flushed he looked.

But Brenda was only thinking of her patient as she hit the call button to summon more medical personnel.

"Thanks for your help," she told him, "I can take it from here."

"Sure," Gadget replied, and then he hurried from the room, still feeling far too hot for comfort.

As he walked away and headed for the elevator, Robo Brenda hurried after him.

"Will you wait with me? I'm worried about Cindi." she said.

Gadget could barely meet her gaze as he felt consumed by guilt.

"No, I have to get back to work. I'll stop by later and see how she's doing," he replied, and then hurried off in the direction of the elevator, still feeling flushed as he thought about Cindi on that table, her cybernetic body exposed in a way that made him feel so aroused and so guilty at the same time.

Even after he left the building and the cool air hit him he could not lose the feeling of heat as he recalled the sight he had seen in the lab:

Right or wrong, seeing her exposed like that, seeing the metal that was worked seamlessly into her flesh, had been a hugely erotic experience – and he knew he wouldn't be forgetting it for a _very_ long time...

* * *

When Gadget got home the sun was lowering in the sky but it was still daylight.

He left the Gadget Mobile parked outside the beach house and let himself in quietly, finding Bess in the bedroom, standing in front of the mirror as she brushed her damp hair.

She was wearing a towel wrapped about her body and she still carried the scent of shower gel on her skin as he went up behind her and wrapped his arms around her and planted a gentle kiss on the side of her neck.

She smiled at him through the glass and he looked back at her, his eyes reflecting love as he tried to put the sight of Cindi far from his thoughts now.

"It's been a long day," he said softly.

"Not for me," Bess replied, "it was quiet at the hospital – I guess that's a good thing - not so many sick people because we've fixed most of them, thanks to Taylor's generosity."

"Yeah he's a generous guy," Gadget agreed, kissing her neck again, then he looked into the glass as he ran a hand over her hair, sweeping it off her face and holding it close to the back of her neck, pulling it a little tighter as he pictured her like Cindi, hairless with elegant metal plating set in her skull.

"Gadget, don't pull my hair.."

"Sorry, I was just thinking about how lovely you look."

He let go of her hair and swept his fingertips down her back, tracing the path of her spine as he pictured a strip of shining metal doing the same.

"I love you," he whispered, and then he kissed her shoulder, and she turned around, looking into his eyes as he felt thankful he was getting good at hiding his secrets – it was crazy; he had _nothing_ to feel guilty about except his own thoughts, he had done nothing wrong, it had never been a crime for a man to look or to wish or fantasize- all men looked, didn't they? Of course, everyone had their own idea of what was sexy, what was was hot and irresistible - but all the same, Gadget's guilt still weighed heavy as he looked into her eyes.

"I do love you, Bess," he promised her.

"I know you do," she replied, "Gadget, is something wrong? You look like you have something on your mind."

Gadget shook his head.

"No, I've only got you on my mind," he replied softly, and then he drew her closer and kissed her gently, then deeper, and as he drew her down on to the bed and began to make love with her, he kept his eyes shut.

_At first he tried to block it out, but eventually, as he got closer to the edge, he invited it in – and welcomed erotic thoughts of Cindi, and what it would be like if Bess had the same kind of modification to her flesh, blending it seamlessly, entwining smooth flesh with living metal..._

* * *

It was late at night and Bess was sleeping soundly when Gadget went downstairs to make a quiet phone call.

As he stood in the front room with the lights off as the sea rolled to shore beyond the window looking like ink beneath the night sky, he felt guilty.

He didn't know why, because he was acting out of concern, and there was no more to it...

At least, that was what he told himself more than once as he waited for the call to be answered.

When Brenda picked up the phone she sounded tired.

"Hi Gadget," she said, " how come you're calling so late?"

"I just wanted to know how that poor girl was doing," he replied, and his awareness of his guilt sharpened.

"Cindi's fine," she told him, "I fixed the wiring, replaced the plate and she's resting now and should be out of here in a couple of days. And now I'm going home - it's been a long night. But thanks for calling. You're so kind Gadget. I'll be sure to let her know you asked after her."

_"Tell her I'll stop by and see her tomorrow."_

The words had come out of his mouth before he had a chance to think about what he was saying.

"Okay, I'll do that," Brenda replied, "Goodnight, Gadget."

As the call ended he drew in a slow breath, feeling as if he had just opened up a door that he should have left closed, but now he had made the decision to see her and it would seem strange if he changed his mind. Or maybe not, perhaps Brenda wouldn't think anything of it if he didn't show up...

Gadget stood for a while at the window, watching the dark sea and thinking about his real motives for visiting Cindi. He wasn't comfortable with the decision he had just made, but he hadn't been comfortable about watching those two women in the street who had the metal work on their arms, either – but all the same, he had done it.

He knew he couldn't control who or what he found attractive.

He also knew he _could _control what he chose to do about it – but thoughts of Cindi still filled his mind as he went back to bed and embraced Bess, and while she slept he stayed awake, his mind shifting to thoughts of all that fascinated him, and all that he secretly desired.

* * *

Morning came very early in the Scolex house; Penny was woken early by their son's crying and Sanford had turned over and gone back to sleep.

What seemed like moments later, he had reluctantly dragged his eyes open as Penny leaned over him and spoke into his ear:

_"Get up, Sanford. You'll be late for work."_

He gave a groan and turned on his side, not wanting to leave the warmth of his bed.

"Get up fat boy!" she said, "I mean _now._"

He sighed and turned on his back, opening his eyes to see the woman he adored looking down at him.

"I sometimes think you enjoy dominating me!"

Amusement sparkled in her eyes.

"Its good for you – and you're not such a bad guy now, are you?"

"I think you'll always punish me one way or another, "he remarked, but his tone was playful.

Penny kept her gaze fixed on him as she spoke again.

"Get up and get in that shower before I tip your lazy ass out of bed! I've been up since five with SJ and you just went back to sleep!"

"It was too early for me!"

"Get up -"

"No, don't.." he protested and Penny laughed as she pulled the covers back and Sanford gave a gasp as sharp morning air coming in from the open window hit his bare skin.

"All right I'm getting up!"

He sat up and Penny leaned closer, putting an arm around him as she helped him to stand.

"Can I leave you to it?" she asked as he reached for his cane.

"I'll be fine."

Sanford glanced over at the suit hanging on the outside of the wardrobe door and he smiled as he looked into her eyes.

"You got my suit out for me?"

"You know I like to help," she replied as the look in her eyes softened.

Not for the first time, the thought crossed his mind that he was so fortunate to have the love of the woman who had once hated him so much. Penny teased him and called him names and playfully bullied him, a reminder that she would never forget the life he used to lead and what had happened because of it. But she also loved him, and knew that his life as Claw was over forever now – and she never forgot the sacrifice he had made to save her Uncles life, either. The little things she did to show that she cared meant so much to him.

As he leaned on his cane, Penny's arm was still around him.

He smiled as he looked into her eyes.

"You make me so happy," he told her.

Penny leaned in closer and gave him a brief kiss, and then let go of him.

"Shower, fat boy."she reminded him, and then the baby cried and she turned away and left the room to go to their son.

Sanford looked back at the suit hanging on the wardrobe door and smiled again as he felt sure he would never regret the choice he made to cast aside his old life as Claw.

"Thanks Penny," he said fondly, and then headed for the shower, ready to start another day as a free man, working in a real job.

* * *

Brenda Bradford had arrived early at the cybernetics center, looked in on Cindi, who had asked to go home, and told her she was doing fine but needed to rest for another twenty four hours. Then she had reminded her again that if she had wiring trouble, like any other complaint, it was something best dealt with sooner rather than later, and then as she had been heading for the door she had turned back and remembered she had a message to give her, and had said that Inspector Gadget was stopping by to see her later on, and then she had gone back to her office to start work.

As Brenda sat at her desk on that quiet morning, her thoughts began to wander in a way they had not done before; she thought about Jax and the dreaming machine, and then she thought some more about Gadget and felt an ache in her heart, a longing for the past that she knew had no place in her life today.

Brenda shook her head, dismissing the idea that perhaps the dreaming machine had woken up something that had long been sleeping deep in her heart.

She hadn't given it any thought the day before when she had seen Gadget, because she had an emergency to deal with, but now everything around her was quiet, it seemed her mind wanted to wander into places she usually steered clear of. She recalled the dream that had seemed so real and smiled, shrugging off the crazy notion that if she were to run into Bess she might get a flashback to the dream of making love to Gadget, and feel guilty because...

_Because, what? She had an erotic dream about him?_

_Since when was dreaming wrong?_

She thought again about the dreaming machine and felt a flicker of excitement deep inside as realization began to dawn on her that she could have the past back any time she wanted it – she just had to go to Jax, and he would give her those dreams...

Then she turned her thoughts back to the man who had made this possible. Suddenly as she recalled all she had learned about Jax and his tragic past, she felt such fondness in her heart.

He wasn't Gadget, but he was like him, he had overcome his own personal tragedy with the same kind of courage, and the more she focussed on that thought, the more she wished it was already tomorrow, so she could go over to east Riverton and visit that sweet, courageous man who had invented such a wonderful machine.

She was still smiling as she started work, her thoughts still on Jax Wilberforce.

It was strange, but it felt as if something unknown was slowly sliding into her mind and altering her thoughts and the feelings in her heart, but it felt good, and she didn't want to question it when it seemed so much easier to simply enjoy and accept and welcome these feelings that were creeping slowly into her life - _even if the suddenness of it all didn't make sense..._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Gadget felt tense as he drove through town that morning.

He was sure his electronic systems were up and running to full capacity yet he still knew- at least his human side knew – that he certainly could have got more sleep the night before.

But while Bess had slept on easily, he had stayed awake thinking of Cindi and Bess and then Cindi again.

"What's wrong with you, Gadget?" the car asked him.

"Nothing," Gadget replied, "I was just thinking, that's all."

"About what?" the Gadget Mobile wondered.

_"About Nothing."_

"But that's no answer!" the car exclaimed.

"I know," Gadget replied, as he found a parking spot and pulled into it and switched off the engine.

"Where are you going?" asked the car, "Why have we parked in the town, you're supposed be on_ duty,_ not going shopping!"

"I won't be long," Gadget replied, and he got out of the car and hurried across the street, where he paused to look into the large window of a boutique.

_His first thought was Cindi, and he hated himself for that._

_But he couldn't help it as he looked at the long white dress on the mannequin that stood in the window, face turned away from the glass to show off the way the back of the dress was cut low, curving around the lower back..._

_Cindi would look beautiful in that dress._

_The mannequin had been dressed to emphasize the dress and nothing else, leaving off the hair. _

_He blinked and in his mind, pictured elegant metal work over its head and running down its back._

_If it had been decorated with metallic body work, that mannequin would have looked just like Cindi..._

Gadget caught his breath, his gaze fixed on the figure in the window as he pictured Cindi wearing that dress just for him, that backless dress that exposed the silver that ran down her spine...

Then he went into the store, and a short while later came out again, with the dress gift wrapped.

_It was a present for Bess._

The Gadget Mobile spoke up at once as Gadget got back into the car and placed the box on the back seat.

"What did you just buy?"

"Something for Bess," he said, sounding preoccupied as thoughts of Cindi still burned bright in his mind, then he started up the engine and drove away in the direction of the cybernetics center.

* * *

"What are you doing?" asked Taylor as he stood in the office of Dr Kramer and leaned over his shoulder, watching as he filled out a complicated-looking form on the computer.

"I'm just registering Robo Gadget as a reactivated android," he replied, "as you know, times have changed since I first built him – these days an android with his level of intellect is recognized on a par with human, so this document will get mailed to the town hall and go into the records, giving him papers to confirm he's considered to be a robotic person."

Taylor smiled and put his hand on his shoulder as he watched him fill out the form.

"I was so happy when that law was passed!" he said enthusiastically, "It's great to know _we_ finally have rights!"

Kramer frowned as he paused typing on the form and glanced at Taylor.

"We? But you're_ human_, Taylor! Even with your artificial heart, you're_ still_ human. Cyborgs are human beings – they don't get classified as androids."

Taylor was still smiling.

"I need to shut the door. I have something to show you!"

Kramer left the form alone as he gave his full attention to his friend, whose eyes were shining like a kid at Christmas.

"What have you done now?"

Taylor went over to the door and closed it, then locked it.

"Close your eyes and get ready for a _big_ surprise!"

Kramer shook his head as he smiled.

"I don't even want to guess what I'm about to see...okay, Taylor..."

And he closed his eyes.

There was silence. Kramer spoke again as he kept his eyes shut.

"Will this take long, Taylor?"

"Just a minute...I'm taking my clothes off!"

_"What?"_

"Okay, you can look now!" Taylor said excitedly.

Kramer opened his eyes. As he stared at Taylor, his eyes grew wider and he felt sure his wild spiky hair had just stood up on end that little bit more; he couldn't believe what he was seeing:

_Taylor had stripped off his jacket and shirt, revealing some heavy cosmetic metalwork that ran down the center of his chest, it swirled under the left side but swirled up and over on the right, covering one of his nipples._

"Is this cool, or what?" Taylor said excitedly.

Kramer was still staring at him.

"It's very.._.decorative?_" he wondered, hoping he had chosen the right word.

"Yes it is!" Taylor said, "And Emma was _so_ surprised, at first, she just stared...and stared..._and stared!_ She didn't know _what_ to say!"

_"I'll bet she stared..."_ Kramer murmured.

But Taylor hadn't noticed his remark as he continued, "So I wanted to get the metal covering on both sides of my chest, but I had to keep the left side more or less clear in case I ever needed repairs to my cyborg heart -"

"_Titanium _heart," Kramer corrected him, but Taylor also missed that remark by a mile as he carried on excitedly telling his tale:

"So I had to leave the left side clear around my cyborg heart – but I had the full pattern on the right side. _And it doesn't stop at my chest!_"

Kramer's eyes widened again.

"Oh no – you _don__'__t _have to show me any more!" he protested, as Taylor enthusiastically started to unbuckle his belt.

"You'll _love_ this!" Taylor exclaimed, "I have a strip of silver that runs from my belly all the way down to my -"

_"Stop!"_

Taylor paused, the sparkle leaving his eyes.

"You don't want to look?"

"No thank you Taylor, I get the picture."

Taylor's eyes lit up again.

"I've got a picture too! I dropped my pants and took a photo and sent it to Emma! It's still on my cell phone. It's in my jacket -"

"No, I _don't_ need to see it!"

"Oh, okay...I just thought you might like to see the _man metal_ on my _man parts!_"

"No thank you, Taylor – the description is enough."

Taylor shrugged.

"Okay," he replied, and Kramer breathed a huge sigh of relief as Taylor buckled up his belt and put his shirt back on.

"So I guess Emma was kind of..._shocked?_" he wondered.

Taylor looked up at him, buttoning his shirt clumsily, sliding the lowest button into the wrong hole.

"What?"

"Emma? I said, she must have been shocked. And you might want to try again with the buttons, Taylor."

"What?"

Taylor looked down, saw his mistake and laughed, unbuttoning his shirt and starting again, this time with much more care.

"Well, I guess us cyborgs can't be perfect!" he said, "Even with my man metal, I still make the odd mistake..."

Kramer paused, giving Taylor a chance to concentrate on buttoning his shirt, and then he spoke up again.

"You still haven't answered my question. Was Emma shocked? What did she say when she saw it?"

Taylor slipped his jacket back on and smiled at his friend.

"She was so happy she had tears in her eyes!" he replied, "And then she sort of went, _Oh my God, Taylor, what have you done to yourself? _That's how I could tell she liked it! The sight of the man metal was too much for her to take at first. She seems to be more used to it now. It's taken a few days, but she's talking to me again. I guess it's understandable, I mean, suddenly seeing your cyborg husband covered in decorative metal, it's got to be enough to make a woman want to faint with _lust,_ right?"

Kramer shrugged.

"If you say so, Taylor." he replied kindly, as he wondered how long it would take for Emma to get over the shock of what her husband had done to himself.

But Taylor remained oblivious to his reply he looked at him and smiled brightly.

"I wanted to get some more but Emma said that was enough. We both know what that means, don't we..."

And he winked.

"We do?" Kramer wondered, feeling utterly confused.

"What it means," Taylor confided, "is that she finds the sight of my new metal so overwhelming that she couldn't take me having any more...she would be fainting every time I took my clothes off!"

"I'm sure she would!" Kramer replied.

Taylor checked his watch.

"I'd better get back to work now. See you later."

And then he grabbed at the door handle, tugged it and collided with the closed door, bumping his head, then he stepped back and laughed as his face flushed slightly.

"Oops...I forgot I locked it!" he said, and then he unlocked the door, tried the handle again, and managed to leave the room without further injury.

As Kramer turned back to the computer screen he smiled and shook his head:

_Taylor was a good friend, but he took his obsession with all things cyborg too far, and he could only wonder at how Emma had felt to see what her husband had done to himself, adding all that fake metalwork to his body..._

Then he pushed aside thoughts of his best friend and shifted his attention back to the form he was still filling out.

He felt sadness grow in his heart as he thought of Robo Gadget.

Kramer read the questions it asked twice, thought about the android who was still in sleep mode and then began to fill out the answers he had left until last because he had not wanted to think about his response:

_Was the subject able to function independently? Was he physically or mentally impaired?_

Kramer paused, gathering his thoughts as he considered how to answer that question. This was _not_ something he could alter at a later date – and Robo Gadget was an android, so in theory, he could live forever. He would certainly live on long after his human creator was gone...

Kramer didn't want to limit his chances in life, so he answered the question as carefully as he could.

_Yes,_ he wrote, _Robo Gadget is able to function independently. _

Then he checked the box that asked about disability, and wrote:

_Robo Gadget has water damage to some electronic circuits. This will cause mild impairment of his intellect and ability to relate to others, but will not affect his quality of life when skills are fully relearned._

And then he finished the form, hurriedly clicked on _send _and took a deep breath as he thought of the damage Robo Gadget had suffered, and then remembered there was a warning at the bottom of the form that stated it was an offense punishable by up to ten years in jail for making false statements in the paperwork...

Robo Gadget was still in sleep mode. He had no way of truly knowing what his outcome would be until he was awake. He was sure the water damage would leave him with some impairment, but he didn't want to say how much on a form that would become a permanently kept record...

But as Kramer thought about the future and what it might hold, he clung to the hope that things would work out as he thought of the android still sleeping on the table in the lab.

"You'll be okay, Robo Gadget," he said quietly, "You _have_ to be..."

* * *

As Inspector Gadget knocked on the door of Cindi's room, he waited for a reply and considered walking away at the same time.

"Come in," she said quietly, and he still thought about walking away, but then thought better of it, because it wasn't her fault that he felt compelled to be here, visiting her at the cybernetics center- that was his fault and he knew it.

Gadget took in a deep breath, hoped his face wasn't too flushed and tried to ignore the warmth that was creeping into his pleasure sensors. He reminded himself the poor woman had been sick, and only looked the way she did because of an accident. She was a cyborg who had undergone much work – much like himself...

And then it hit him again:

_She was like him._

_She was the kind of woman he had dreamed about meeting for years..._

That thought did nothing to ease his guilt as he stepped into the room.

"Hi." he said quietly, closing the door and then just standing there as he looked at her. He was trying not to stare, but even though she was wearing her platinum wig and her body work was covered by her plain cotton night gown, he knew what lie beneath it and the thought was enough.

He was becoming aroused again and he wished the feeling would go away, but it remained and refused to leave him be...

"Thanks for all your help yesterday," Cindi said, "Robo Brenda told me all about it. She stayed with me for hours. I know she was worried. I feel bad about giving everyone such a fright – Dr Bradford's right, I should have got this problem fixed a lot sooner."

"But you're okay now, that's the most important thing," Gadget replied and took a seat at her bedside. He still felt awkward as he looked into her eyes, awkward and guilty as he kept thinking that he really had no business being here at all...

"I heard you and Robo Brenda have moved permanently to Riverton."

"Yes, we have," Cindi replied, "Brenda quit the blue movie business because she decided it was time to try something new with her life – so I did too. We've been friends for a long time, we're more like sisters. And she needs me around, she's not made an easy decision, has she?"

"No?" Gadget replied, wondering what she was talking about.

Cindi blinked.

"You don't know? I thought everybody knew..she had the semi organic stuff done a few months back. The only thing that's stopping her is finding a donor."

Gadget was confused. Hearing the word _donor_ made him think about his own situation when he had needed the tissue transplants – _but Robo Brenda was an android..._

"I don't quite understand," he said to her,"what's going on with Robo Brenda?"

_"She wants to have a baby."_

Gadget stared at her.

"But how can she -"

"Easily," Cindi replied, "android females can have an artificial womb fitted. But when guys donate sperm to a cyborg fertility center, most of them don't agree for it to be used to impregnate an android. People can be kind of uneasy with the idea of a machine having a baby. So until someone comes along who is willing to donate to assist an android pregnancy, she can't have a baby. It could take months. Maybe even years."

The surprising news that Robo Brenda wanted to be a mother had at least pushed away his feelings of arousal at being so close to Cindi. As he thought more about the android who had once back flipped from the top of Sanford's former business premises, he shook his head.

"I never would have thought she would want to do that!"

"Well maybe she'll never get the chance," Cindi replied, "I hope she does – but we just don't know yet."

Gadget looked into her eyes as he spoke from his heart.

"I'd help her out if I could. I sure Bess would understand. But I can't do it because... well...it's a bit difficult to talk about, but..._I__'__m all mach__i__ne in that area_."

And he smiled, and as he thought about what he had just said, he felt his sensors heating up and his face flushed slightly all over again.

"I'm sure you know what I mean...maybe I shouldn't have said that -"

"You mean you have pleasure sensors?"

He nodded.

"And... and that's all. I had some very bad injuries a long time ago, I was in an explosion and most of my body was rebuilt with cybernetic technology. Actually I was the prototype. So my body is mainly machine. But it's enough, I mean, my girlfriends happy with the way I am - and so am I. We have a good, close relationship...we're _both_ happy...you know..._together_..."

Gadget paused, wishing he had never mentioned such intimate facts.

Cindi was looking at him intently.

He felt awkward again as he laughed nervously.

"I love my girlfriend, I love her a lot," he said, and felt stupid for adding that with such emphasis, because Cindi didn't have a clue what was going through his mind, she knew nothing of how she affected him, or the guilt he felt because of it...

"I think I'd better get going now," Gadget added, standing up and stepping back from her bedside, "I just wanted to stop by and say I'm glad you're feeling better. Maybe I'll see you around soon?"

Cindi smiled.

"I'm getting out of here tomorrow. And then I'll be going over to the lab with Robo Brenda, she still hasn't seen Robo Gadget yet. She stayed with me so long she was exhausted, she went home to rest."

And Cindi's smile faded.

"I feel so bad about giving her such a fright."

"I'm sure she's just glad you're recovering," he replied, "and I'm glad too."

Cindi smiled again.

"I'm looking forward very much to going over to Braydon Industries. _I like Simon too, I think he's great_."

"Simon?" wondered Gadget.

"Dr Kramer," Cindi told him, "his name is Simon...but everyone just calls him Kramer, he even told _me_ to call him Kramer! He's a nice guy. And I'm sure he's doing all he can for Robo Gadget."

"I'm sure he is too," Gadget agreed.

Cindi was still looking at him with warmth in her eyes, and he was trying _not _to find her so attractive, but it was something impossible to ignore.

"Thanks for coming to see me."

Gadget smiled back at her.

"Bye," he said, and turned away and left the room.

As he closed the door behind him, he paused to breathe out and loosen his tie, then he shook his head as he wondered what had come over him as he spoke to that woman – it seemed as if he just needed to think of her and he was instantly excited.

_"You've got to stop this, Gadget," _he said under his breath, and then he walked back down the corridor, heading for the exit.

* * *

As Gadget was walking away, someone called his name.

He had just reached the elevator and he turned back, and smiled on seeing Riley Hammerstone approaching him.

Riley had changed so much since he had spent more than a year adjusting to his cybernetic body. He still hated it and still wanted to be all human again, but his anger had gone now.

As the young man smiled at him Gadget smiled back.

"How are you, Riley?"

"I'm doing good," he replied, "Brenda said she thinks I'm well enough to get out of here soon, get a place of my own."

"Do you think you're ready?"

Riley hesitated.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I'm happier staying here. At least if I get a bad day and I need help I know Brenda's around."

"Just take your time," Gadget replied, "it's a lot to adjust to. You want to be ready before you go back out into the world."

Riley nodded. Then he spoke up again, sharing something with Gadget that he felt he couldn't talk to anyone else about - at least, not yet...

"It was on the news...about Robo Gadget. He's been repaired?"

"Yes he has,"Gadget replied, "And he's been reprogrammed -so he's a threat to no one. He's got a brand new life to start living with no mistakes this time."

There was intensity about Riley's eyes as he added:  
"I heard they gave him a new body. They put his head on to a new body...if they can do it for an android, why not a human body for me? I want to do it, I've told Brenda I want to do it -"

"Riley," Gadget said gently, "you know the technology is not safe enough to perform a whole body transplant - at least not yet. You have to understand that you can't take that kind of risk until the procedure is safe enough for you."

_"Sanford Scolex said the same thing."_

Gadget blinked. This was a second shock; first hearing about Robo Brenda, and now Riley was saying Sanford had come to visit him? Obviously he hadn't told him he was his father, or Riley would have mentioned that...

"Sanford's been to see you?"

Riley smiled.

"He's changed a lot. He's like a different person these days. He gave me a hug and he promised me that when the time comes, if its not safe enough for me to go through with it, he'll talk me out of it."

And then Riley laughed softly.

"I know he means well- but no one can talk me out of this, Gadget I _want_ a human body. I don't want to live inside a machine. I'll never get used to it. But it was kind of him to say that."

Gadget nodded slowly.

"Yes it was," he said thoughtfully as he wondered if he ought to speak to his friend about this, and ask him if maybe it was time to tell Riley the truth. A whole body transplant was a dangerous procedure and if Riley knew the truth, perhaps he would listen to Sanford if he knew he was his father...

But that subject was thorny ground to cross. Sanford had been happy with Penny and their baby son, he had seen this chapter in his life as the start of a while new life- maybe he felt revealing the truth to Riley would drag up too much of the past, bring back memories of his days as Claw...and not just for Sanford. There was no way of predicting how Riley would react if he found out his father had once been a notorious criminal feared by all who lived in Riverton...

"Sanford's a nice guy," Riley added.

Gadget smiled on hearing that remark.

"Yes, I have to agree with you, Riley – he's changed a lot. He's someone I'm proud to call a friend. And so are you. I think you've done great to get used to things the way you have. "

"Thanks," Riley replied, and as he smiled it occurred to Gadget that it was the first time he had really seen the young man's eyes light up. Riley had improved so much since his time at the cybernetics center, he felt sure if only he could let go of his obsession to be totally human once more, he would stand a good chance of living out a happy, well adjusted life some day...

"I have to go, I've got work to do." Gadget said.

"See you around, Gadget," Riley replied, and then Gadget walked down the corridor and reached the elevator, stepped inside and breathed a deep sigh as the doors closed and he started the descent back to the ground floor.

It had been a difficult day so far – visiting Cindi had left him feeling guilty, learning about Robo Brenda's baby plans had been a shock...and Sanford, visiting Riley? That was a pleasant surprise, but not a subject he wanted to raise with him, at least not yet – it was a sensitive subject and best left alone until the right moment presented itself...

* * *

Brenda Bradford was in her office when the phone rang.

As she answered it and heard the silky tone of Jax's voice, she smiled.

"Hello!" she said warmly, feeling mildly surprised that she had reacted with such warmth – but thoughts of all he had told her remained with her and as she thought about him, she found herself longing for tomorrow, when they would meet up for dinner. It seemed she was becoming more excited at the prospect of dinner with Jax than she was at the thought of using the dreaming machine again..

"I just thought I'd call to say I have to cancel tomorrow evening,"Jax told her, "You gave such a good report on my dream machine that Chief Quimby's just told me he's decided to send Inspector Gadget over to try it out! Obviously I'm happy about this, but I was hoping you would perhaps be available for dinner tonight instead?"

Brenda smiled as she felt as if butterflies were fighting to get out of the pit of her stomach.

"I would love to come over tonight Jax!"

His voice sounded even warmer as he spoke again.

"That's wonderful! "

Then Jax paused, as he told her more his voice sounded pained.

"I'm not having a very easy time today – old scars, you know what I mean. But I'll be sure not to let my discomfort get in the way of our evening, Brenda."

"Of course," Brenda replied as her voice softened and her heart ached as she thought how his courage was so like Gadget's.

As the call ended, she held on to the phone for a brief time, still lost in thoughts of Jax.

Then she began to look forward to meeting with him that evening, and those butterflies began to flutter all over again.

* * *

Inspector Gadget was on his way home after a short shift, looking forward to a quiet afternoon and then spending the evening with Bess when she finished work.

But as he drove towards home, his cell phone rang.

"Take over, Gadget Mobile!" he said, and answered the call.

"Gadget," said Chief Quimby, "I'd like you do a special job for me tomorrow evening – I want you to go over to the Waking Dreams facility and try out one of the machines. Brenda's already done it and she said it was great. But that's a scientific point of view – I'd like one of my people to try it and I can't think of anyone better for the job than you, Inspector. I know you'll give me a full account of exactly what people should expect from using one of those machines."

"You want me to test it?"

"That's right."

Gadget gave a sigh.

"Okay Chief- I'll do it. But I'm not the kind of guy to get much from losing myself in a fantasy world."

The Chief laughed.

"That's exactly why I'm asking you to do it. I trust your common sense approach."

That sounded like a compliment and Gadget smiled.

"Thank you, sir!"

"Be there at six tomorrow evening,"Quimby told him, and then he hung up.

Gadget was still smiling as he looked down at the computerized face on the screen.

"Did you hear that, Gadget Mobile? The Chief wants MY opinion on the dream machine!"

"I wonder what you'll dream about..." the car remarked.

And Gadget's smile vanished as a look of alarm flashed to his eyes.

_The thought was only fleeting, but what if he dreamed about Cindi?_

He didn't want to invite a fantasy that would be three dimensional because to him, that would be cheating, even if only in a dream.

He took in a deep breath and focused his mind.

"I'll keep my thoughts on sensible level," he told the car.

Then as he looked down the long road and they passed the sign that said _Welcome to Riverton,_ he frowned.

"Maybe I should ask Taylor about this. I don't even know what to expect. Take over driving, Gadget Mobile."

"Okay," the car replied, and took over as Gadget called Taylor Braydon.

The phone rang a couple of times and then Taylor picked up.

"Hi Gadget!" he said excitedly, "It's so good to hear from you -I need you to come over and see me soon, you'll never guess what, I've had some artificial plating fixed to my body! I mean, fixed in the places where it matters. I've got man metal all the way down to my man parts -"

"Taylor that's too much information, could you quit talking about your man parts? I need to ask you something important."

"Okay, what's up?"Taylor replied.

"Chief Quimby's asked me to go over to Waking Dreams tomorrow. He's already had Brenda test out the machine and she told him it was a great experience. But he wants one of his people to test it before the public use it. He wants me to do it. I know you and Jax are pretty good friends, I wondered how much you know about this dream machine?"

Taylor answered at once without hesitation.

"It's _great,_ Gadget! I've already tried it out and it's like walking into another world, the best world you could imagine!"

"What did you dream about?"Gadget asked him.

"I dreamed that me and Emma were starring in our own erotic cyborg art movie! A proper _naked_ one!"

Gadget laughed.

"So I guess you had a good experience with it, then?"

"It was so cool, it was the best! You've _got_ to try it out, Gadget – you'll dream amazing dreams!"

"I guess I will," he replied, "thanks, Taylor."

But as he ended the call and told the Gadget Mobile he was taking over the driving once more, worry began to crowd his mind:

_He knew it wasn't cheating._

Dreams were just..._dreams,_ how could they be anything harmful?

How would anyone else know what he dreamed about?

_He had heard the machine enabled the dreamer to choose their dream experience, to be in control of it._

_But that gave him little comfort when he knew that once he was afloat in that dream world, his thoughts would turn to Cindi..._

He pushed thoughts of the dream machine far from his mind as he approached home, wanting nothing more than to be in the real world, with Bess, who he intended to stay faithful to on _all_ levels...

* * *

The sun was sinking amber in a deepening blue sky as Brenda arrived at the Waking Dreams facility and made her way to the main building.

The whole complex seemed spooky, with the vast towering glass buildings all gleaming and new, yet no one about yet, it made her feel as if a ghost town had been built in East Riverton.

But as she entered the main building, Jax met her by the door, smiling as he approached her. He had left his tinted glasses off and was wearing a dark suit and a red silk tie. He seemed to have made an effort for the occasion, being that little more immaculately groomed than usual, he took her hand and kissed it and gave her another charming smile.

"It's _so_ lovely to see you my dear!" he said warmly, and led her over to the elevator.

The doors opened and she followed him inside and he hit the button for the top floor.

As the elevator began to climb, he glanced at her, admiring the way her light blue dress clung to her body and the plunging neckline flattered her curves. Her red hair was piled up on her head and she had fixed in some tiny sparkling butterfly clips to keep it pinned up.

"You look lovely tonight," he said.

"Thank you," she replied.

"It would have been perfect had I not been feeling so awful today," Jax confided, and he leaned against the wall of the elevator, closing his eyes as he gave a tired sigh

"I try to fight this but it _never _stops..."

"Jax?"

Brenda stepped forward, reaching for his arm.

But as she did it, Jax straightened up and snapped his eyes open again, meeting her gaze with that intense stare of his as he smiled again.

"But I can't complain, not on such a lovely evening. I've arranged for us to have dinner on the balcony at the back of my apartment - there's a beautiful view over Riverton Hills from up there."

The doors opened and Jax stepped out of the elevator.

He paused, stopping sharply as he placed his hand against the wall and closed his eyes again, drawing in a slow breath.

_"Jax?"_

He heard concern in her voice and thought of how well she was falling for his fake medical notes and his sob story about an explosion, and smiled a secret smile briefly, while he still had his back to her.

"Jax, are you okay?"

Brenda placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Yes..I...I think I am. Oh Brenda, I'm so sorry you've had to see me like this..I'm sure I'll be fine once I sit down..."

And he made his way over to the door of his apartment limping, pausing, leaning against the wall when he got there, before retrieving his keys and handing them to Brenda.

"Please open it for me..."

Pain registered on his face as he leaned harder against the wall.

"Oh no...this is much worse than first thought...I'm so very sorry about this, but I need to lie down!"

Brenda opened the door quickly, then put her arm around him and helped him inside.

He leaned heavily against her as he directed her towards the bedroom. When she opened the door the room was light and bright as the late afternoon sun still shone warm enough to cast a glow around the pale, soft décor that graced the room.

"I need to rest," he said weakly.

"Of course you do," Brenda said kindly, helping him over to his bed.

As he sat down he gave a weary sigh, then he lay back on the soft double bed while Brenda sat on the edge of it looking at him with concern in her eyes.

"I had no idea you were suffering like this!" she exclaimed.

Jax relaxed against the soft pillows, remembered to fake a shooting pain as he winced briefly then he turned his head and looked up at Brenda, who was playing so wonderfully right into his hands...

As she looked down at him she blinked away tears.

"I'm sorry,"she told him in a hushed voice,"but seeing you in such chronic pain...it reminds me of when Gadget was first injured in the explosion. You have no idea how much you are like him in your courage and the way you just carry on with life...you really are a very brave man, Jax."

Jax looked up at her, playing the part of her wounded hero to perfection.

"I'm not perfect, Brenda," he said quietly, "there's been many times in the past, when I've been alone and in pain and knowing the pain will never leave me...that's when I've thought about ending it all."

Brenda took hold of his hand as she shifted closer.

"Oh no,_ never_ think like that, Jax! You're so strong, you have to carry on because..."

She paused.

Her eyes were still blurred with tears and her emotions were all over the place; she didn't notice the brief, devious look of triumph in his eyes, nor the sly little smile that came and went from his lips as he sat up and leaned closer to her.

_"That was before,"_ he told her.

"Before what?" Brenda asked him.

He managed a smile and reached up, brushing a stray lock of red hair off her face as he gazed at her and thought how beautiful she was, and how perfectly his little plan was working out, too...

_"That was before I met you,"_ he replied, "I knew from the moment we met that there was something...perhaps I'm the only one who feels this – if you don't feel the same way, that's fine. I'll understand if you want to walk away, especially now you've seen how useless I am when the pain gets to me, I mean, who would_ want_ to love a cripple like me?"

And then his body tensed as he faked another wave of pain, crying out sharply, and by the look in Brenda's eyes he guessed he had done a good job of it, too...

"Do you need your pain relief?" she asked him as she helped him to lie back against his pillow.

"No, I can't take any more today," he said, sounding worn out, "I'm afraid all I can do is lie down until it eases off for a while. I'm so sorry, I'm such lousy company tonight. I expect you'll want to be going home. I don't mind, I'm used to being in pain, all by myself, all night until the sun comes up. It's just another day for me, Brenda. _I'm used to it_."

But Brenda sat on the bed and then lay beside him as her hand closed over his and she smiled at him kindly.

"I never thought I'd meet someone who made me feel like I once felt for Inspector Gadget," she said quietly, "but then I met you. And I can see you have so many of his qualities, you're a man much like him, a very rare kind of man – a _truly_ brave person. "

And she reached out with her free hand and stroked his light brown hair as she smiled at him fondly.

_"You won't be alone tonight, Jax. I couldn't leave you like this. I'm going to stay."_

He looked at her with such emotion and gratitude shining in his eyes.

"Oh thank you my darling," he said, weakly reaching for her.

Brenda held him gently, and he rested his head on her shoulder as a sly smile played about his lips:

_His plan was working...Brenda Bradford had fallen for him... thanks to the dreaming machine, he had found out all he needed to manipulate the woman of his dreams..._

_He couldn't wait until the complex opened next week, when the whole of Riverton would be trying out the dreaming machine experience._

_It wouldn't be long before he owned the whole town..._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Sounds like you'll be having fun tonight," Bess said as she placed a steaming cup of coffee on the table in front of Gadget, who was already in his hat and trench coat and ready for work.

Gadget cast her a doubtful glance.

"Losing myself in a fantasy world is _not_ my idea of a good time! I'd rather be here in the real world, solving crimes!"

"But there is no crime in Riverton thanks to you," she reminded him, and kissed his cheek before sitting down beside him.

She saw the reluctant expression on his face and smiled.

"Oh Gadget, it can't be _that_ bad! Just go over there after work and try out the machine. It might even be fun!"

He cast her another doubtful glance.

Bess giggled as amusement danced in her eyes.

"Fun, Gadget!" she said again," You know, something you might _enjoy_, something you might want to do again! If it's _that _good, I might even try it out too."

Gadget had been nursing the coffee cup in his hands. He put it down on the table again and turned to Bess.

"I'm flattered the Chief trusts my opinion like this – but I'm not sure I want to do it."

"Why, honey?"

As Bess looked into his eyes, he felt heavy with guilt again.

"I just don't think it's my kind of thing. I probably won't enjoy it. I'm not into that kind of escapism."

She cast him a playful glance and leaned a little closer as she spoke again.

"You don't like escapism? What about all those little games _we_ play, you know – _when I'm the cybernetic doctor and you're the cyborg with that little problems that needs fixing..._"

Gadget smiled too and his face flushed slightly.

"That's different, that's you and me and our _private_ fun -"

"What could be more private than having fun in a dream world? Gadget, I _want_ you to try this thing out, I think you'll enjoy it!"

Seeing the sparkle in her eyes made his guilt weigh even heavier.

_Yes, Bess did want him to try out the machine, simply because she thought he would enjoy it._

_She had no idea what or who he was afraid of dreaming about..._

Gadget got up from the table and paused to kiss her goodbye.

"I'll see you tonight," he said, "have a good day at work, Bess."

"You too," she replied, but Gadget walked out of the door without looking back, his thoughts still on the dreaming machine, as he wondered if he could trust his own mind not to wander to places it ought not to go when such temptation was about to be laid in his path...

* * *

Brenda Bradford woke up with a jolt, wondering why she was in a strange room that was not her own, and wondering why she was on top of the covers still in her clothes...

And then she remembered, she had agreed to stay with Jax, who had been in terrible pain.

She turned over and saw that he was in bed, sleeping comfortably beneath soft covers. He was on his back and breathing slowly and evenly. As she glanced to the chair near a dressing table, she noticed his suit was neatly folded over it.

Then she cautiously pulled down the covers a fraction, feeling surprised that he was, from what she could see, undressed now.

_He had got up in the middle of the night and undressed and got into bed, despite the chronic pain he had suffered yesterday evening? _

Brenda felt surprised at his determination.

Then as she looked at him her heart filled with warmth.

"Oh Jax," she whispered, "you poor guy..."

And she slowly reached out, gently running her hand over his hair.

Jax smiled in his sleep turned easily on his side and murmured something against the pillow.

"Go back to sleep, honey," she said softly

_"Hmm..."_ he murmured, shifting again, smiling as he heard her voice.

He reached over and slid his arm around her waist.

"Come to bed, Brenda..." he said, his eyes were still closed and he was still between sleeping and waking.

Brenda smiled fondly.

"Okay," she replied, and lifted the covers and got in beside him, but she was still fully dressed.

Jax shifted closer to her, hugging her as he rested his head on her shoulder, and the softness of her hair and the scent of it made him smile again.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked.

His eyes were still closed.

_"Better?"_ he wondered, then gave her a gentle squeeze, pulling her tighter against him as he gave a contented sigh.

Brenda lay there as Jax embraced her and then slumbered on, as he slept so well she still felt surprised that he had made such a rapid recovery from his pain the night before.

_She watched him sleeping, wondered how he could have found the strength to make such a rapid recovery, and then her heart felt warm as she recalled how determined Gadget had been to adjust to his new situation after the explosion._

_It only served to remind her that the two of them were so alike in their determination and their courage, and with that thought in mind, Brenda closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep next to the man she was rapidly growing fond of..._

* * *

Robo Gadget was awake.

He had got up off the table and found the door to the lab was locked, but then he had found a closet with a suit in there, and some shoes and a coat. It wasn't a trench coat, more like a lightweight jacket, but he had put the clothes on and then looked around the mint green room and wondered how he had got there.

Looking out the window he had seen a view of Riverton from an angle he did not recognize – this was not the lab of Sanford Scolex...

"_Where am I?"_ he said impatiently, turning his head to the side a little as he looked intently at the view of the town beyond the window.

"And where _is _Claw?" he wondered aloud.

He had tried to access his gadgets – but nothing had worked. _It was almost as if he had no gadgets any more..._

Then his eyes grew wider and his hands grabbed at his shirt and pulled it partly open, popping off a few buttons in his haste.

That was when he had realized the most confusing thing of all:

_The tarantula was gone_.

As he looked down at his chest, that growing confusion made his eyes darken with dismay as he took in the sight of the micro chips that ran down the center; either side of it, no inner workings showed – they were hidden by cybernetic skin...

_Skin?_

His large teeth briefly gnashed together as his eyes grew wider.

"_I'm different!"_ he said aloud, and the echo of his own voice sounding back at him in the empty lab was disconcerting.

He took in a breath and thought about smashing his way out of the lab - but somehow that thought was being dampened down, as if other ideas, like waiting here for answers, would be more desirable...

Had his programming been tampered with?

_It felt like it._

As he took in another breath, the sensation felt strange.

He wondered what alterations had been made to his body.

Perhaps it was part of a plan to made him do worse things out there on the streets of Riverton.

Claw knew what he was doing...

_No._

It clouded up his confused mind instantly – there would be no more setting fire to things, no more scaring people and laughing as they ran in terror.

That was wrong.

"_It's bad?"_ he said in confusion, feeling as if two different programs were fighting to take over the running of his mind.

He blinked.

Gadget, the _real_ Gadget, had disconnected his head and thrown it into the river...

He kept his dark eyes fixed on the view of the town beyond the window as he recalled those final moments.

That had been..._yesterday?_ _A week ago?_

_No. It felt like much longer._

And this body was new. It was better than his old one, less robotic, more human-like...

He could get used to that, he was sure of it.

Robo Gadget sat down at the desk and looked through paperwork, smiling as he recognized the name _Kramer._

"So Claw got us a new lab!" he said, looking around the room with renewed excitement in his eyes, "I have a new body and Kramer's got a new lab and..."

His head jerked sharply as his eyes widened again.

"This means new plans!" he announced aloud, "Claw's got a new job for me...now, where _is_ Claw?"

And he reached for the pile of paperwork on Kramer's desk hoping to find a clue, it was a clumsy attempt at detective work that saw papers spill on to the floor and flutter through the air as he shoved them about, impatient for answers.

Then he dashed the paperwork aside, not caring that the office was littered with paper now.

"What's going on?" he said in a low voice as he felt the strange sensation of his cybernetic body growing tense, as his impatience grew and threatened to spill over into anger...

* * *

"I am _so_ glad you're okay!" Robo Brenda said warmly as she smiled at Cindi, feeling sure she would always be her best forever friend.

As they walked towards Kramer's lab, Cindi smiled back at her.

"And I won't be making a mistake like that again – if I get a problem I'll sort it out right away!"

"I hope you do," Brenda replied, "I never want to get a fright like that again!"

"Oh, Hi girls – you're early!"

On hearing Kramer's voice, Robo Brenda turned to see Kramer approaching from the other side of the corridor.

"_Daddy!"_ she squealed joyfully, and dashed over to him and hugged him.

Cindi laughed as Robo Brenda held on tightly and Kramer struggled to free himself from the android's grip.

When she finally let him go he smiled, but then reminded her:

"Robo Brenda, I know you're fond of me. And I'm fond of you. But I _built_ you. I'm not your Daddy!"

"I know, but I just love to call you that."

Kramer turned from Robo Brenda and as he looked at Cindi, he suddenly felt shy.

Having worked in robotics all his life and spent many hours shut away in laboratories – not to mention the years he had laid low believing quite wrongly he was a wanted man – women had not been high on his list of priorities.

But Cindi would be, if he stood a chance with her. He knew he was blushing as he said hello.

"It's good to see you again!" he said warmly.

Cindi smiled back at him.

"Good to see you too –"

_"Where's Robo Gadget?"_

What had started as the beginning of what could have been a pleasant conversation between two people who had great potential to grow closer, had been cut off by Robo Brenda's shrill voice.

"Where is he?" she asked again.

"In the lab, he was still sleeping last time I checked."

And Kramer unlocked the door and stepped inside.

The girls followed him, Robo Brenda was sure her electronic heart skipped a beat as she thought about that bad boy robot who had gone on the rampage in Riverton so long ago...

Cindi walked in behind her, and as Kramer and Robo Brenda stared, Cindi gave a gasp.

Robo Gadget was awake. He was up and dressed and standing there in the lab with a look between malice and confusion in his dark eyes.

"What's going on, Kramer?" he said.

And Kramer took in a sharp breath; it was a shock to see him standing there, looking and sounding like no time had passed by at all since the day he had gone on the rampage in Riverton...

"A lot of things have happened," Kramer said carefully, closing the lab door and locking it.

Cindi glanced nervously at Robo Brenda, who just shrugged.

"He won't hurt us," she said quietly, "I know this guy."

"Are you totally sure?" Cindi replied nervously.

Robo Brenda looked back at the android version of Gadget, caught that darkness in his eyes that seemed to run deep and dangerous and had second thoughts.

"Just stick with me," she told her quietly, "if there's any trouble we're out of here!"

Kramer glanced back at them.

"He won't hurt you."

"_Who won't?"_

Robo Gadget's head jerked as he fixed his gaze on the scientist and for a split second, Kramer felt uneasy.

"I...I was just saying to the girls – you won't hurt anyone."

"Do you want me to?" Robo Gadget asked. And then he smiled.

"Where's Claw? Where's the boss?"

Seeing the look on Robo Gadget's face briefly transported the spiky-haired scientist back in time to the days when he had been working for – and terrified of – Sanford Scolex, when he had been a villain on a power trip, a villain no one dared to cross...

"Maybe you should come back another time," he said to Robo Brenda.

"We have to leave?"

He saw disappointment in Cindi's eyes and he felt the same in his heart – but now was not the time to make small talk with Robo Brenda's best friend.

"It's better if I have some time alone with Robo Gadget," he said, unlocking the door and opening it.

"I'll call you later on," Robo Brenda told him.

She looked worried and he quickly dispelled her fears as he smiled.

"I'll look forward to it. But right now, there's a lot of explaining to be done."

As they walked out of the lab, he closed the door behind them and locked it once more.

* * *

Robo Gadget was standing there fixing Kramer with a stare that bordered on menacing. Or perhaps it was just that he was confused and he couldn't think or concentrate long enough to work out he had been reprogrammed, but the look was there and it made Kramer slightly nervous.

"Let's go through to my office," he told him, "we can talk more in there. Come and sit down, you have a lot of catching up to do."

He followed him into the office and Kramer sat down.

Robo Gadget stood there and the menacing look had gone as he seemed a little confused.

"Sit where?"

"_On the chair?"_ Kramer's voice had taken on an impatient tone, but as Robo Gadget looked across the desk to his own chair and then to the other one, he recalled the damage to his circuits and instantly softened his voice as he spoke again.

"The chair in front of you. Sit down; just sit so we can talk."

Robo Gadget took a seat and Kramer looked at him across the desk, wondering where to start – Robo Gadget had been gone for many years and he wasn't sure how he would even understand, let alone process that information...

"What do you need to tell me?" Robo Gadget asked, "I don't understand, Kramer – where's Claw?"

Dr Kramer took in a slow breath and tried to arrange his thoughts into some kind of order, an order that he could translate into facts simple enough for Robo Gadget to understand; he knew he had a difficult task on his hands...

"You were under the water for many years. Riverton PD tried to locate your head but their divers couldn't find it. You were found by accident, Robo Gadget. The search was called off a long time ago. Fifteen years, actually. And _a lot_ has changed in that time."

"But Riverton still looks the same."

Kramer stared at him. Then he remembered again, the android had damaged circuits.

"No, Robo Gadget – I'm not talking about Riverton. I'm talking about the people you used to know. Fifteen years have gone by. All the people – the humans you knew, are fifteen years older, and as time goes by, people change."

_"Why?"_ Robo Gadget's head tilted slightly on one side as he fixed him with a questioning gaze.

"Because humans are learning and changing all the time. No one ever stays still in the same kind of place in their life – they grow –"

"Bigger?" he wondered, "But you're still the same spiky haired little guy I remember."

Kramer smiled.

"But I'm older," he explained, "and my life has changed a lot over the years. I don't work for Sanford Scolex any more. I work for a place called Braydon Industries – it's owned by my good friend Taylor Braydon. He's a wonderfully kind man, he's the one who helped finance your rebuild and reactivation."

Robo Gadget still had a questioning look in his eyes.

"_Why?"_

"Why what?" Kramer asked him.

"Why does he care?"

"Because he loves cyborgs and android people too. That's another thing that's changed, Robo Gadget – you're not owned property any more – you're considered a life form, a person. That's because the law has changed. Android life is something that's protected just like human life. Do you understand that?"

Robo Gadget was still looking at him.

"Where's Claw?" he asked blankly, as if all he had just been told had barely registered.

Kramer gave a sigh.

"Sanford Scolex is not Claw. That changed a while ago. He now works for the Riverton Police Department. He's not a bad guy any more. And he's married to Inspector Gadget's niece."

Robo Gadget felt utterly confused.

"He's got another niece?"

"No, I mean Penny."

"Penny?" He married Penny?"

"Yes, Penny is a young woman now; fifteen years have gone by, Robo Gadget. Everyone is older, wiser – hopefully a _lot _wiser, especially Sanford. He's nothing like the mean guy I used to work for. He's changed so much. Eventually, you'll no doubt run into him – when you do, remember what I've told you. He's _not_ Claw any more."

Robo Gadget shook his head.

"But he's a bad guy. He sent me out to burn Riverton and put the blame on Inspector Gadget."

"And that was many years ago. Inspector Gadget is close friends with Sanford Scolex now. Gadget was very sick and it was Scolex who donated tissue to save his life. "

Robo Gadget stared at him in disbelief.

"No, they _hate_ each other! Scolex is Claw. Claw is a bad guy. _I work for Claw_."

"If you ask Sanford about Claw, he will tell you the same thing as me – there is _no more_ Claw! He's a changed man."

Robo Gadget fell silent, tilting his head slightly as he tried to process the information in his confused mind.

"It's important that you start learning to get used to these changes," Kramer told him, "You suffered a lot of damage to your circuits while you were underwater. I'm not sure how much you can adjust to a new life. But you'd better try, because I want you to have a happy life, I don't want you causing trouble and winding up being institutionalized. If that happens I'm going to jail, because I just signed paperwork promising you're not dangerous any more."

Robo Gadget looked at him thoughtfully.

"_I don't want to be locked up."_

Kramer breathed a relieved sigh; finally, he had through to him...

"And you won't be. But you need to stay with me for a while; you need to learn how to live a normal life. You didn't have the chance to even begin that last time, because in the days when Scolex was a bad man, he used you as a weapon. I didn't build you intending for that, because I never wanted to abuse robotics in that way. Now we both have the chance to put that right."

And he smiled.

Robo Gadget still looked confused.

"Put _what_ right?" he wondered, and Kramer gave a sigh, feeling weary of explaining, but knowing for sure he would have to repeat himself many times before the water damaged android came close to fully understanding.

It was going to be a difficult task, but he was determined not to quit now – he wanted Robo Gadget to have the kind of life he believed he was entitled to have, no matter how hard it would be to make the android understand new ways of thinking...

* * *

The day passed uneventfully for Inspector Gadget, who spent most of the afternoon parked out on the highway with his _go go gadget radar gun_ hoping to catch speeders. But there were no speeders and the afternoon had been spent mainly talking with the Gadget Mobile, who felt decidedly envious that Gadget was able to try out the new dream machine facility.

Gadget had said again as he headed over the Riverton Bridge, _Cars don't need to dream,_ and the Gadget Mobile had informed him cars _did_ dream.

By the time he parked outside the main facility, he was glad to get out of the car and drop the subject of what cars might dream about and why.

"Have a good time, G Man. Shame I can't come too!" whined the car.

Gadget closed the door and looked back at the Gadget Mobile.

"Just go to sleep and charge up your battery and dream about your next new paint work design," he remarked, and then he went up the steps and into the main entrance of Waking Dreams.

Jax Wilberforce was waiting for him.

He walked over to him and smiled as he shook his hand.

"How nice to see you, Inspector!" he said warmly, and then he took off his tinted glasses and put them in his jacket.

"Well, the Chief asked me to try it out – I guess he wants to be sure from one of his own people that your machines are safe. I know Brenda gave a great report on the experience."

They began to head for the elevator.

Jax glanced at him.

"I don't suppose she told you about her experience?"

"No," Gadget replied, "I wouldn't ask, either – I mean, dreams are private."

Jax smiled again.

"I suppose they are," he remarked, and stepped into the elevator as Gadget joined him.

The doors slid shut and Jax hit the button for the top floor.

"I had a wonderful evening with Brenda. She said before she left this morning that she loves my facility – and I think I may be inviting her over for dinner again."

Gadget blinked. Jax had stated that fact as if something was going on between him and Brenda. If something was going on, he was sure he didn't feel envious but...perhaps _surprised_ was a better word for it. He just hadn't imagined she would ever go for a guy who, on first meeting, she had described as _creepy_...

"How come we're going up to the top floor?" Gadget asked him, "I thought you had these machines on every level."

"I do," Jax replied, "but I keep the very best for the best people – so please enjoy my hospitality, Inspector."

The elevator stopped and the doors slid open.

"This way," Jax said, and Gadget followed him down a long, white corridor.

* * *

Moments later Gadget was lying on a bed with sensors attached to his temples feeling slightly uneasy about the whole experience, as Jax hit him with the spray and told him to watch the screen and get ready to step into another world.

"I think I prefer the _real_ world," Gadget replied.

But Jax had walked out of the room quickly, and the screen above him showed a sky changing color, working through shades until skies turned purple.

The darkening clouds and their violet hues made his eyes feel heavy.

Gadget gave a sigh and slowly closed his eyes, making a mental note that he would _not_ direct his dreaming towards a woman named Cindi...

_That thought was far more difficult to avoid as he began to drift._

Gadget felt as if he were floating, as if his body was light – a strange sensation he had not enjoyed between waking and sleeping since back in the days before he became a cyborg.

The feeling was not unpleasant, it brought back memories of the human body he used to have, and he recalled the lightness of his bones and the human sensations of it...

_Flesh and bone._

_The thought was there, his deepest wish._

And the machine grabbed hold of it, and Gadget knew it, and he smiled in his sleep as he walked into another world that seemed every bit as real as the waking one.

At first, as the shower stopped running and the steam began to clear from the bathroom, he thought perhaps the dream was over and he was back at home, because this was the bathroom back at the beach house and he knew if he stepped out of the door he would find himself in the bedroom he shared with Bess.

He paused by the mirror as the steam cleared, seeing his naked reflection.

Then he saw his perfect, undamaged, very human body and felt a sharp pain where his once human heart had been.

"This is _not_ real," he whispered, "you're a cyborg, don't dream _this_..."

And Gadget looked again into the partly misted glass, and now he saw the same cyborg body he had been used to since the day he woke up after the explosion: part man, part metal.

Micro chips ran down his chest, metal plating covered parts of his torso, and as his gaze briefly shifted lower and he saw the plating over his groin, he didn't allow himself to acknowledge the sting of regret at changing the course of his dream:

_His human body was gone; he had accepted it long ago._

_Acceptance meant no looking back to the past, even for a brief time, to long for all he had lost._

Gadget took in a deep breath and then he smiled at his reflection:

_Yes, he was a cyborg, even in the dream world._

_But that was the way it had to be, because in reality there could be no other choice._

_And he had just realized he was capable of easily directing the course of his journey in this other world. _

Gadget grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. He thought about what he wanted to find when he opened the door – and _who_ he wanted to find there.

Then he confidently opened the bathroom door and stepped out.

What he saw beyond it came as something of a surprise:

His thoughts had been on his favorite, real life fantasy.

_He hadn't realized the dream world would have grabbed it like this, and traced its way into every part of that fantasy._

_It had certainly gone deep, taking it to a while new level, but while it came as a shock, it was not an unpleasant one. _

_This was just a dream._

_At least, that was what he told himself as he decided to go along with it and enjoy the experience now it was unfolding for him with such clarity..._

Gadget was no longer at home.

He was in the lab at the cybernetics center, and it was a great relief to see that the woman in his dream was Bess. She was wearing her lab coat and she smiled at him kindly as she walked over to him.

"Come on, honey," she said gently, "don't worry; I'll take good care of you."

As she led him over to the table Gadget smiled, feeling relieved his dream had turned into something like the kind of bedroom game he played at home with Bess in the real world – _his own personal cybernetics expert was about to fix him up real good and make him feel so much better..._

"I think I'm going to like this," Gadget said, as he got on to the table and lay back getting comfortable.

"You're really overheating, Gadget," Bess said to him, "I think I should hook you up to some monitors to keep an eye on your vital signs. And I need some help in here, too..."

And she pressed the call button on the wall.

Gadget felt a little startled as she began to hook him up to monitors. She was calling someone else into the room?

_That had not been a part of his plan._

_At least, not consciously..._

When they were joined in the lab by Brenda Bradford, Gadget smiled.

Now it made perfect sense; a play on his bedroom games with Bess, involving his ex girlfriend too... this dream machine sure knew what it was doing...

As Brenda ran her hands over him, sliding them down and then removing the towel from his waist, Gadget was past caring about the morals of the situation, the thought that it was _only a dream_ had taken its place and he wanted to go along with that, because this dream was so real, yet just a fantasy – _and no one would ever know_...

Bess leaned over him.

"Gadget, you're very hot. I think you're experiencing a high power surge and the best thing we can do for you is to relieve that for you...just relax and let me do all the work."

And her hand slid down to his pleasure sensors.

Gadget closed his eyes and gave a sigh as she gently caressed him in the one place his machine body could translate such a touch as erotic pleasure.

Brenda was running her hands up his chest, and then she leaned over him and told him to relax and enjoy it.

_"Oh yes I will!"_ Gadget said breathlessly, as Bess continued to caress his sensors in a way that was taking him slowly and intensely towards the edge of a mind blowing pleasure overload.

* * *

Jax Wilberforce was in the control room.

He inhaled deeply on the chemical cocktail as he linked to the machine and watched Gadget's dream playing out on the screen.

The buzz of the inhaled cocktail hit him sharply and he blinked to clear double vision as a sharp pain in his head told him he was at one with the machine and just as smart as the machine, at least, for the time it would last. The cocktail boosted his intelligence too, and he got a sudden idea flash to mind about the design of a secret project locked away in his apartment. He scratched some notes on to a piece of paper as his vision turned amber, then he put the note in his pocket and turned back to the screen.

"Inspector Gadget!" he said aloud, "Who would have thought Riverton's finest cop had such a filthy mind? _Two_ women at once?"

And then he laughed.

"I shall have to be careful I don't let it slip and call you _Inspector Fetish!_"

And then he sat watching as Gadget helplessly lost himself in a moment of mind blowing bliss, helped to get there by the attentions of two women, who continued to kiss and caress him long after the powerful surge of pleasure had overloaded his cyborg body and left him weak and sweating on the table.

Jax glanced over at the machine below the monitor and smiled, happy to reassure himself that he did remember to hit _record_ before the Inspector's dream time began.

"That should be enough to keep you under control when the complaints start coming in about the effects of my dream machine," he said aloud, "you won't have anything on me, Inspector...I have too much on _you_ now... _I wonder what Bess Nightingale would say if she saw this imaginary threesome with Dr Bradford?_"

Then he ended the recording and began to key in the sequence to end Gadget's experience in the dream world.

Jax chuckled as he worked the controls:

He had given Gadget a very strong hit of relaxant and turned up the frequency of the machine, too.

_The Inspector would soon be begging to come back for more of the same, just like every other resident of Riverton would... once a person hooked up to the dreaming machine, he was able to send out the signal and reach them even in waking time away from the facility, causing thoughts and cravings. It wouldn't be very long at all before the whole town were slaves to repeating the dream machine experience, because everyone had a dark corner in their mind, everyone had a scenario of some kind they longed to live out, and he was sure no one was an exception to that, because all humans had dreams, hopes, fantasies and secrets..._

* * *

When Jax went back into the Inspector's room, he was sitting up and disconnected from the machine.

Jax noticed his pupils looked a little dilated and his face was rather flushed, but pretended not to notice these things. _Inspector Gadget had certainly had a wild ride in there..._

"So," Jax said, "how did you find the dream machine experience? I hope it was a pleasant one for you – of course, everyone is different, because everyone has different dreams, but I'm sure you've had an enjoyable time!"

Gadget got up and looked him in the eye, hiding his embarrassment as he forced a smile.

"Yes...I can certainly say it was enjoyable. Thank you for letting me try it out."

"I do hope you'll come back again," Jax added as they walked out of the room and back down the corridor, "We open for business next week. I was hoping that a few select people might like to have some free private sessions before that time – purely as a token of my gratitude for making my facility so welcome in Riverton."

Gadget glanced at him with suspicion, but his mood was lighthearted.

"Are you trying to _bribe_ me, Mr Wilberforce? You know I'll give a good recommendation anyway – that machine was mind blowing!"

Jax laughed.

"Please feel free to come back and use it again. How about tomorrow, just stop by when you finish work –"

"_I really shouldn't do that."_

They were in the elevator now and it was descending, taking him further from the machine on the top floor that had led him into a world filled with such pleasure, and for a fleeting moment, Gadget regretted separation from it.

"I insist!" Jax said warmly, "I'm _very_ keen to be as generous as I can towards my new friends here in Riverton. Brenda loves the machine. And I can see that you do too."

Jax paused, thinking carefully, casting a sly glance at the Inspector as the elevator reached ground floor.

"I would never ask about your dream experience, Inspector Gadget – such things are private. But I do imagine for a man like yourself a dream world must be wonderful place to be free of reality...perhaps, even to feel _human_ again?"

"Well I wouldn't even try and imagine that," Gadget replied as the doors opened and they stepped out on to the ground floor, "I've been a cyborg for many years, I'll be a cyborg until the day I die. Dreaming about being human again could be bad for me. I wouldn't call that a good dream. But my dreams were nothing like that. I dreamed of...nice, interesting places."

And he smiled.

Jax smiled back at him.

"You're welcome to come back tomorrow, Inspector," he said, "I'd advise you to say yes, because I have a few more people queuing up to have an early try at the machine before this place opens. If you don't come tomorrow, you might not get to do it again for several days."

Gadget tried not to think too much about the erotic experience he had enjoyed in the dreaming machine, in case his face flushed again.

"Okay, I'll stop by tomorrow after work," he said," I'll see you tomorrow, Jax."

"I look forward to it, Inspector," he replied, walking with him to the doors and then standing on the steps and putting on his tinted glasses to block out the glare of the sunny late afternoon.

Jax watched as Gadget walked back to his car and gave a low chuckle. Gadget was hooked on the machine already, and he didn't even know it. That meant Riverton's finest crime fighter was already under his control... he thought about what Gadget had said to cover up the truth about his experience in the dreaming machine.

"You went to nice, _interesting _places?" he murmured_, "You liar, Inspector... you liar!"_

* * *

Gadget got back into his car and started the engine.

As he drove away from the facility and headed for Riverton Bridge, the car spoke up.

"So what happened, G Man?"

"It was a very calm and relaxing experience," he replied, gripping the wheel a little tighter as he kept his secrets to himself, "I liked it. I liked it so much I'm going back for some more tomorrow."

"So what happened in there?"

Gadget could barely bring himself to look down at the face on the screen.

_"Not much."_

They reached the bridge and began to drive over it, heading back towards town.

"But what did you see, what did you do?"

"It was just a nice, peaceful rest in a lovely place," Gadget replied, "that's about all I remember."

And then he fell silent as the bridge and the surrounding water became a blur and he sped on towards home, thinking of Bess and trying not to think of the fantasy that had just played out in the dreaming machine.

It had been good; if Gadget was honest with himself, it had been _too_ good – and he was still feeling a little guilty for having such an explicit dream, even though Bess had been there and at least the other woman involved had been his ex girlfriend...

_But dreams were harmless - they were just fantasies._

_Dreaming couldn't hurt anyone._

Gadget kept reminding himself of that as he drove home, because it made him feel a little easier about the fact that he had just had the best experience of his life.

_It had been so good he was going back for more tomorrow..._


	5. Chapter 5

**A word of warning: this chapter features a scene of Riley and his self harm/hatred for his cyborg body**

* * *

Chapter 5

"_What was it like?"_

Gadget had been on his back, on top of the covers on his comfortable bed, looking out the window as the waves rolled to the darkening shore and he had become lost in his thoughts.

As Bess spoke up, her words brought him out of those thoughts and he turned his head and looked at her.

"What did you say?"

"I said, what was it like? What was the dream machine experience like; you haven't even told me what happened yet!"

Gadget gave a sigh.

"Like I said, I'm tired, Bess. It was a nice experience. It was relaxing. I think I fell so deeply asleep I must have forgotten my dream. But I do feel good for it."

"So how come you're so quiet?"

"Because I'm tired!"

Gadget turned on his side and watched as the window began to reflect waves turning to ink as the night fell.

"Sorry, honey. I know you've had a long day."

Bess shifted closer and put her arm around him.

They lay together for a few moments before Gadget spoke up again, and as he did, he felt his throat go tight even though he knew he had nothing to feel guilty about.

"I said I'd go back and try the machine again tomorrow. Jax offered me a second go and I liked it enough to say yes."

"I _knew_ it would be good for you!" Bess said kindly, "That kind of relaxation's just what you need, Gadget."

"I'm not so sure about that," he replied quietly, and as Bess sat up and looked at him as if she was about to ask questions, Gadget gave another sigh and closed his eyes.

"Turn out the light, Bess," he added, "I need to sleep."

"Sure," she replied, and as the bedside light snapped off Gadget kept his eyes shut and his back turned even though the woman he loved was beside him and had her arm around him.

He wished he could have been honest and told her everything about his experience – Bess was an open minded person, and he guessed she may have even laughed when he said that he had a sexy dream and Brenda was in it too. But that would be _after_ she had got over the shock of coming to terms with the fact that he had dreamed about her _and_ his ex girlfriend – and that dream had been highly erotic...

_It wasn't cheating._

_But it felt like it._

Gadget stayed awake long after Bess had fallen asleep. And when he finally did sleep, his dreams were vague and fleeting, but somewhere in there he caught glimpses of the sweet forbidden world that had opened up to him via the dreaming machine...

* * *

Early next morning, Brenda Bradford had started off the day with a cup of coffee in her office and a phone call to Jax. As she spoke to him and asked how he was feeling, it came as a great relief to hear him say he was feeling fine now.

"I'm so glad you're free of pain," she said, feeling an ache in her heart as she recalled the terrible pain he had suffered on the night she had stayed beside him, not wanting to let him out of her sight because he had been suffering such terrible agony. It broke her heart to think he had to live with such pain, and to learn the news that he was now having a good day lifted her spirits.

She was sure she was falling in love with him, but now was not the time to discuss it, because when she had stayed the night her concern for his welfare had taken over all else. But she was sure she would share her feelings with him when the time was right...

"Well at least you made my life more bearable at a difficult time," Jax replied softly, "I hope next time we meet it can be under better circumstances. I wish we could have...done so much _more_ than just embrace."

Brenda smiled on hearing those words.

"Oh Jax, I feel the same way. But I've read your medical notes and I'd be _very_ surprised if we could have done anything more than embrace under the circumstances. I can tell how badly the pain affects you, how it cripples you."

_"Really?"_ Jax sounded rather surprised.

"But I'm more than capable of physically showing my feelings," he added anxiously, "please don't think I'm incapable of making you happy – that's _not_ the case!"

Brenda wanted to go into much more depth about the affect his terrible injuries must have had on his sexual function, but that was not a subject she wanted to discuss over the phone. It was better said when they were alone and they could talk privately...

But Jax sounded very anxious all of a sudden.

"I won't have any trouble making love, Brenda!"

"Jax, I've seen your notes! That pain you get affects your back and your lower body. I'm a medical doctor as well as a cybernetics expert – you don't have to lie to me."

And Jax gave a frustrated sigh.

"_Oh damn it, what have I done?"_ he said in a low voice.

Brenda frowned.

"I'm sorry? I don't understand...it's not your _fault_, Jax. I'm sure we can work something out. You're probably a lot more able when you're free of pain, but we just don't know how long that will last, do we? Don't worry; when I come over to see you again I've every intention of having a nice, romantic evening with you. And we will take things slowly."

"_Slowly?"_ he exclaimed.

"That's right," she said kindly, "with your kind of condition we _have_ to take things easy. I understand that, and I'm really looking forward to seeing you again."

"I'm looking forward to seeing you too," he replied, but sounded rather distant now.

"I have to go; I have work to get on with. I'll call you later," Brenda replied.

Then as Jax said goodbye, she heard a tap on the door and she put the phone down, casting aside her thoughts of Jax and wondering why he seemed so frustrated because she had mentioned his health condition; by the way he had spoken to her it was almost as if he wanted to play it down all of a sudden, but that subject had to be pushed aside, cut off along with the phone call because as she looked up, she was surprised to see Emma Braydon standing in the doorway.

"Hi," she said, "this is unexpected, did Taylor send you over for some paperwork or something?"

Taylor's wife smiled as she shook her head.

"Actually I wanted to ask a favor."

"A big one or a small one? Because I have a lot of work to do, Emma."

On hearing Brenda say that, Emma hesitated.

"Well actually, it _is_ rather a big favor. It's about something I want to do for Taylor, for our first anniversary."

Brenda gave a sigh.

"Oh no, _please_ don't tell me he wants some cybernetic work done!"

Emma giggled.

"No, he won't be going _that_ far – I think I made my feelings perfectly clear when he showed me his decorative metal work! He could tell I wasn't too happy...I think. At least, I _hope_ he took my reaction the right way."

"Knowing Taylor he probably thought you were overcome with desire!" Brenda replied, and they both smiled as they thought about Taylor and his obsession with all things _man metal_.

"I hope I'm not asking for too much," Emma began, "but Taylor told me you designed the Gadget Mobile. And he said he wished his mint green sports car could talk. I was wondering if you could put some kind of interactive program into it for him so he could feel like the car had its own voice."

Brenda looked at her doubtfully.

"Can't you just get him sat nav and let him pretend?"

Emma's smile faded.

"I already tried that. It worked for a while but then he said it wasn't fun because it only gave driving directions. He won't play with it like that. He wants an interactive car. I was thinking maybe you could fit a program for him, just a little one, into his sports car."

"Do you have any idea how much a car with Gadget Mobile's technology costs to build, not to mention the time and work that went into putting it together?"

"But it doesn't have to be real, it could just be a little program that talks to him, interacts with him. Please, Brenda – I'm sure the guys over at Taylor's labs could come up with something but I wanted to ask you first. And it would be such a great gift for me to give him for our first anniversary."

Brenda gave it some thought and smiled.

"Okay – but I can't put this together in five minutes. I'll have to fit it into my schedule amongst other things –"

"Thank you so much!"

Emma's eyes were shining with joy as she pictured the look on Taylor's face when he realized his car could talk just like the Gadget Mobile.

"Don't thank me yet – this will take time!"

"It means a lot," Emma told her, "I know it will make Taylor happy."

"I'll call you next week and we can make some plans," Brenda promised her.

Emma was still smiling as she thanked her again, and then left the office.

Alone once more, Brenda laughed as she shook her head:

_Taylor and his own talking car? That would certainly be something to see..._

Then her thoughts switched back to work, but only briefly, because once again her heart began to ache as she thought about Jax and how he had tried to suddenly play down the seriousness of his health problems. She knew he was desperate to move things along and make her happy, too – but she didn't want to rush, yet at the same time, she didn't want to make him feel bad about his situation, either. She was sure when she saw him again the first thing she would do was take him in her arms and give him the kiss she had longed to give him since their last meeting. She was falling in love with him, she knew it for sure, and she welcomed it, too...

* * *

As Gadget took a seat in the Chief's office, he knew at once there was a problem because Quimby didn't smile at him as he closed the door and then took a seat behind his desk.

Gadget's days of being a clumsy, glitch-prone cyborg were over, as were the days of Quimby yelling at him – time had passed and in that time, Gadget had more than proved himself to be a capable officer who could be relied on in times of crisis.

So it was rare to see the Chief looking so tense and Gadget spoke up at once, wanting to know what was wrong, because Riverton was currently a peaceful, crime-free town, and it seemed the Chief had no reason to look so dismal on such a bright morning.

"Is something wrong, sir?" he asked.

The Chief slowly nodded. Then he thought about Gadget's question and shrugged.

"Yes and no – maybe it's nothing...but I'm rather concerned about Robo Gadget's reactivation. I'm aware Dr Kramer is confident he can be reprogrammed and can learn new skills, but I can't help recalling what it was like when Claw sent him on the rampage."

Hearing the Chief's tone of voice and the mention of the name _Claw _set his teeth on edge as he thought about his friend Sanford, a reformed man and now married to his niece.

"I hope you're not going to talk like that in front of Sanford, Chief. With all due respect, I can see your point of view - but he doesn't need to be reminded of his past mistakes, not now he's changed so much. It could be damaging and hurtful on several levels. And not just to Sanford –"

"_Will you quit the bleeding heart routine for your pal Scolex?"_ Quimby said sharply, _"I'm talking about a machine that had residents fleeing in panic, a robot that set fire to half of Riverton!"_

It had been a long while since Gadget had heard the Chief speak so sharply and he briefly flinched, reminded of the early days and the many glitches he had suffered that had caused havoc and invoked Quimby's wrath.

"I understand your point of view, sir, but Dr Kramer has even signed the legal papers that state Robo Gadget is safe to be out in the community. I'm sure he wouldn't have done that if it's not the truth. I trust him. He works for Taylor Braydon, how much more proof do you need that he's a good guy who's doing the right thing for Robo Gadget?"

The Chief took in a slow breath, keeping his temper in check as he shared his deepest fears.

"But maybe Kramer's so caught up in trying to do the best for his robot that he can't see what's right in front of his own eyes? What if Robo Gadget isn't as harmless as he thinks he is? Remember, that robot has damaged circuits. His android brain is water damaged. What kind of a guarantee is that, to say that he's no threat now?"

Gadget felt slightly uncomfortable at the reminder of the day he had detached the android's head and hurled it into the river.

_"I'm sorry about the water damage. At the time I had no other choice."_

Quimby saw guilt reflected in Gadget's eyes and his tone softened.

"We all know that, Gadget! The robot was out of control. You had to stop him. Don't feel bad about getting a crisis under control. If Claw had got away with it, you would have taken the blame for Robo Gadget's actions – it was you who solved that case."

Gadget managed a smile, recalling the day Sanford, then known as Claw, had been apprehended, and the Chief had looked at him with such pride and saluted him as he walked away from the crowd with Brenda Bradford on his arm...

But the guilt still remained as he thought of the damage caused to Robo Gadget.

"Sir, I don't think Robo Gadget will be a threat. I'm more concerned he's going to experience a great deal of distress because of the difficulties the damage has left him with."

The Chief dismissed that remark.

"Kramer's keeping him at the lab until the end of the week. And then he's taking him home to try and help him get used to a normal life – what ever _that_ can be for an android with his faults."

"_Damage,"_ Gadget corrected him.

But the Chief just shot him a doubtful look.

"Too much sympathy could prove dangerous. I'm more inclined to think we need to exercise caution. I want you to keep an eye on this situation, Gadget. Make yourself involved. But don't get emotionally attached just because you're the one who deactivated him in the first place. You're an officer of the law and I need you to uphold it. Tell me if you see anything that makes you suspect that android could be dangerous."

Gadget felt slightly uncomfortable at the idea of spying on Robo Gadget, but the Chief had given him instruction and he knew it made sense to follow that order.

"I guess you could be right," Gadget said, "I hope not, but I'll keep an eye on the situation."

"You can't do anything until Kramer takes him home. That's when we need to watch him, when he's out of the lab and in the community. I trust your judgement, Inspector."

Gadget nodded.

"I won't let you down, Chief."

Then Quimby changed the subject.

"I read your report on the dreaming machine. It sounds like a wonderful experience."

And Gadget smiled, hoping the flush in his face didn't show as he recalled the way he had lied when he wrote out his account of dreaming of beautiful landscapes and horizons. _The Chief would hardly be praising him now if he knew the truth, if he had written that he had a dream about mind-blowing kinky fun with his girlfriend and his ex partner_...

"So does everyone have the same kind of experience in the machine?" Quimby wondered.

"I believe each dreamer has a unique experience," Gadget replied, and now he was sure he was starting to blush.

The Chief didn't notice as he glanced down at paperwork stacked up on his desk.

"Well, I have work to be getting on with. Thanks for stopping by, Gadget – and keep me informed on the Robo Gadget situation."

"I'll do that, sir." Gadget replied, and then he got up and left the office, closing the door behind him and letting out a slow breath as he briefly closed his eyes, shaking his head as he wished he could forget about his experience in the dreaming machine.

_There was a plan forming at the back of his mind and he didn't like it – but it was there all the same._

Thoughts were difficult to banish when they burned as bright as this one did, and after his first dream machine experience, he had come to think of it as a harmless toy, all it did was take his fantasies and bring them up to the next level, making them three dimensional, in a safe dream world.

He didn't feel so guilty about his fantasy of the Bess and Brenda threesome any more, because he knew it had just been a dream.

And the part of him that got uncontrollably excited at the thought of having a dream in there about Cindi was reminding him the same thing:

_It was just a dream, so what would be the harm in doing it?_

Maybe it would get thoughts of her out of his system finally. Gadget knew that probably wouldn't be the case, but all the same, he was going to try it, simply because he couldn't resist the idea any more...

* * *

Riley Hammerstone was in his room at the cybernetics center.

He had locked the door because he didn't want to be disturbed and had switched on the TV only to find a debate going on about the reactivation of Robo Gadget. It seemed the media had been instructed to make the android seem welcome into the community, there were several experts discussing the fact that he had been reprogrammed and would pose no threat to the general public – even though that same public had long memories and still recalled the havoc he had once brought upon Riverton.

He heard a mention of Robo Gadget having a new body, one with no gadgets, a standard android body.

Then it was mentioned again and Riley gave a sigh of frustration as he found himself counting the times the new body was referred to.

Eventually he switched off the TV and lay back on his bed, looking up at the ceiling as he tried to fight against the urges that were invading his mind:

_Robo Gadget, who had once been such a danger to Riverton, had a brand new body._

_They had put the head on a new body and reactivated him._

_He was walking around in a brand new body, one that was perfect for him._

Riley took in a sharp breath as tears stung at his eyes as he thought of the unfairness of it all:

Robo Gadget had burned half of Riverton, yet he was given a new life in a brand new body...

"_Why can't they give me the body I want?"_ he said aloud, and then he stifled a sob, trying to pull back from the pain that was tearing at him as he was caught between grief and rage as he longed for a body of flesh and bone instead of the cyborg one he was trapped in.

Brenda had removed his weaponry and added new-grade cybernetic flesh, but Riley knew what lie beneath the surface, it was still there, the metal body he hated was still there...

_"I just want to be human again!"_ he said tearfully, shaking his head as he wished the urges would leave him alone, but watching the debate on Robo Gadget and all the references to his new body had made his hatred of his own cyborg body seem deeper than ever. And that hatred had come back sharply after months of absence where he had not thought about the self destructive urges at all.

Those urges had now come back with a vengeance and he sat up, took off his t shirt and looked down at his arm.

"_Just a little bit..."_ he murmured, _"I'll just take a little bit of it out..."_

He reached into the drawer beside his bed and took out a sharp knife.

They had stopped searching his room for weapons a long time ago because he was trusted now.

He thought of how hard Brenda had worked with him and felt a flicker of guilt, but then it was gone.

"She's not me," he said quietly, "she doesn't understand...only _I_ know how I feel..."

And Riley took the knife and carved deep into his cybernetic flesh. As blood and clear fluid spilled out he looked away, forcing the blade into a gap between connections as he twisted the knife and tried to draw out wiring.

There was a sharp _snap_ and fluid gushed out uncontrollably.

Riley gave a sob and hit the emergency call button, knowing at once he had gone far too deep, so deep he had severed a main cable...

* * *

The day had passed uneventfully for Inspector Gadget.

He had found himself wishing the hours away as he thought about his next experience in the dreaming machine.

Guilt still flickered through his mind but each time he cancelled it out by recalling how much fun the experience had been – and dreams were private, so no one would ever know..._so what would be the harm in it?_

He had spent days feeling heavy with too much guilt over his attraction to Cindi.

Gadget knew he had no intention of acting on those feelings in the real world, so why not act on them in the fantasy one instead? It was no different to falling asleep at night and having a dream about her, that was how he was starting to see the situation.

Dreams were just dreams and nothing more – and perhaps if he took his fantasy all the way, in a harmless way, he would stop thinking of her so often...

_Or perhaps not..._

But as evening skies began to streak with amber as the sun sank lower in the sky, he felt excited as he drove over the bridge and headed into East Riverton.

As the Gadget Mobile came to halt outside the main building at Waking Dreams, the car spoke up.

"I hope you're not planning on making this extra journey _every_ night," it complained, "I've got a battery to recharge at the end of the day!"

"This won't take long, stop complaining," Gadget replied, and he got out of the car and hurried up the steps, feeling a shiver of excitement pass through his cyborg body as he entered the building and thought of once again of joining with the machine that would give him all that he desired.

The reception area was empty and he called for Jax, surprising himself at his own impatience.

"Jax?" he called out for the second time, "Are you here?"

Then Jax came out of a doorway behind the main reception desk.

"I'm sorry, Gadget - I was on the phone. The machine is ready."

"Top floor?"

Jax smiled. The Inspector was _very_ keen to get back up there; he didn't seem to realize exactly _how_ keen he actually was...

"Yes, the same as yesterday," Jax replied, "this way, Inspector."

As they stepped into the elevator, the doors closed and Jax hit the button for the top floor.

The elevator began to climb and Gadget felt his excitement mounting more than he cared to let on.

He was about to enter a fantasy world that was secretive, exciting and pure bliss...

_And no one would ever know what he dreamed of while he was in there._

"I'm really grateful for this opportunity," Gadget said as he smiled at Jax, "it's _very_ generous of you to let me try it out again. I spoke to the Chief this morning – I gave him glowing report on your wonderful invention."

Gadget couldn't see the expression in his eyes as Jax smiled back at him wearing tinted lenses.

"I'm sure you did, Inspector," he replied.

Gadget said no more as the elevator continued to climb, and when the doors opened once more he stepped out at the top floor and followed him towards the same room he had used the day before.

Jax unlocked the door.

"I'll leave you to get ready," he told him, "you'll find the relaxant spray next to the bed."

"I don't think I need it," Gadget replied, "one look at that screen and I'm ready to drift away."

Jax smiled again.

"That's a good sign, you're getting used to the machine," he replied, and then he walked off in the direction of the control room.

As Gadget lay back on the bed and attached the sensors to his temples, he looked up at the machinery above him and as his excitement grew, so did his curiosity as he wondered how it worked.

"Go go Gadget scanner," he whispered, and blinked as his vision switched to scanning mode.

He saw through the inner workings of the screen above him, then through that into a mass of wires and circuits that ran into another machine part.

Then Gadget frowned as he silently turned up the scanner, yet could not see through the thick barrier of heavy plating that protected the inner workings of the core of the machine.

"What's he hiding?" he murmured, as the detective in him took over from the man who was waiting for a second erotic experience. For a moment he kept the scanner fixed on the blank screen and all that lie beyond it, but then he turned it off, frustrated – and suspicious – as to why he couldn't penetrate the barrier.

As the screen jumped to life he focused on the blue skies it now portrayed as he let go of his concerns, determined not to let doubt ruin his experience in the dreaming machine, because he knew where he was headed this time...

* * *

In the control room, Jax had just activated the monitor that would send Gadget into a deeply relaxed state of mind.

He paused as he checked the read out, wondering why the machine had detected a sudden power surge just before the monitor had been activated.

Then he remembered Inspector Gadget was a cyborg, a very heavily modified cyborg, so he accepted it was just a glitch, as he linked to the machine and took a hit from the powerful spray that hit his brain instantly and joined him to the machine, enabling him to speak through Gadget's dream companion if he needed to.

Then he sat back, a hidden observer, while Gadget entered the dreaming world once again - and without his knowledge, the whole scenario was recorded...

* * *

As the phone rang Jax disconnected the wire from his temple and snatched it up, feeling more than slightly annoyed that his voyeuristic – and potentially useful – spying had been interrupted .

"Jax Wilberforce here."

"Hi there pal!" Taylor Braydon said warmly, "I was wondering if I could come over tomorrow morning and play with your dream machine again!"

Jax gave a sigh.

He had made a point of befriending the eccentric, not too bright billionaire who owned Braydon Industries purely to enhance his own popularity before building the dreaming center. Now the man wouldn't leave him alone because he loved to _play_ with the dreaming equipment.

Jax had spied on Taylor's dreams and found them to be mind-numbingly childish, not worth recording at all – there was nothing in them to use against him if he needed it, either – _all Taylor fantasized about was having 'man metal' and being the adored cyborg leader of 'his people'..._

"I don't know, Taylor – I'm rather busy tomorrow."

"Oh please!" Taylor whined, "_Please_ let me come over and play! I wanna have some fun!"

Jax glanced back at the screen. Inspector Gadget's dream scenario had just got rather interesting, and he didn't have time for small talk with Taylor.

"Oh, very well then. But come early tomorrow morning – and I don't mean six am, I mean around _nine_, okay?"

"Thanks Jax, I'm so excited –"

Jax put the phone down, then diverted all calls to answer phone, before turning back to the screen.

He watched intently as Inspector Gadget's dream began.

It was a _very _different scenario to the first one...

* * *

_Gadget had walked into a bedroom he did not recognize. _

The room was pale and softly lit by lamps shaded with amber glass. Double doors opened up on to a balcony and beyond it, the night sky was punctured by stars and the moon shone full and silver, glowing and making her metal plating gleam as she stood with her back to him, at the balcony, wearing that long white dress that exposed her back.

In the real world he had given the dress to Bess, who had thanked him with a kiss and said she would wear it next time they went to a party. Then she had put it away and said no more about it.

But here in the dream world, Cindi was wearing it; she was wearing that dress and nothing else.

The moonlight made the fabric sheer and he could see the outline of her body beneath it.

She was not wearing the platinum blonde wig, her head was smooth and bare and moonlight shimmered on the metal plating that ran down from her skull to her lower back. The cut of the dress showed the metal work off to perfection and at first sight, took his breath away.

She slowly turned her head as he approached her.

"I did it like you asked me to," she said softly, "just the dress and nothing else."

"You're very beautiful," Gadget replied, reaching for her and placing his hands on her hips as he looked intently at her face, then at the way her bare head seemed to blend in seamlessly with the plating that was fixed into it. The metal looked fluid, perfect.

"I don't usually look like this in front of other people," she told him, "I don't feel comfortable with it."

Gadget reached up and placed his hand on the side of her head, feeling smooth skin blended with cool metal rest soft and easy beneath his touch.

"_If it was up to me,"_ he whispered, "_you would look like this all the time. I love the look of the real you. I could look at you like this all day long."_

Cindi's gaze was locked with his own as he reached down and unbuckled his belt, then he grabbed her hand and guided it beneath his loosened clothing, until her hand was resting on the heat of his pleasure sensors.

"Feel that?" he murmured, "I'm just about ready to overheat! _That's the effect you have on me_."

Cindi said nothing as she looked into his eyes, then she leaned closer and kissed him.

As she started to caress the plate where built in sensors were rapidly rising towards an overload, Gadget trembled as he returned her kisses, then he clung to her, helplessly losing himself in the moment as all control left him and his pleasure sensors reached peak.

Gadget was still clinging to her, breathless and trembling as the last wave of pleasure rushed through his systems.

"_You understand me,"_ he murmured as he held her, _"you and me, we're the same..."_

* * *

Jax was staring at the screen in the control room.

"Well, well, who would have thought it," he said aloud, "Riverton's finest cop has a little kink for heavily modified women...another dream, another woman...I _really_ hope you never anger me, Inspector – _I can only guess at how Bess Nightingale would react if someone sent her a copy of these recordings..._"

And he gave a low chuckle.

"_Make the most of it, Gadget,"_ he murmured as the images on the screen switched to the bed and Gadget lying with Cindi as he ran his hands over her flesh and metal body, _"because nothing in life is free, not really – one day, you'll pay for this if you upset me..."_

And he continued to watch in fascination as Gadget looked intently in Cindi's eyes and then ran his hands over her head, savoring the way smooth skin and metal felt as one beneath his touch.

Then he turned her over began to kiss the metal that ran along her spine.

_The scenario was still being recorded._

Jax smiled a sly smile as he extended the dreaming time for another thirty minutes, because he was sure there was more to come and he wanted to capture every single moment...

* * *

When Gadget opened his eyes, he felt a brief wave of sadness that the dream had ended.

He thought about every moment he had spent in the dream world, enjoying the feel and look of Cindi's body, and then he gave a heavy sigh.

"It wasn't real," he reminded himself as he removed the sensors from his temples, "forget about it now, back to the _real _world..."

He sat up and loosened his tie, taking a deep breath and realizing his face was slightly flushed, and there was a definite heat coming from his pleasure sensors, too.

That had been one hell of a turn on and he knew it – but deciding not to repeat the experience was something he felt less resigned to now:

_Bess would never know._

_And surely, it was better to indulge in fantasies in a fantasy world, where no one got hurt?_

_He loved Bess._

_He would never act on his urges in real life. At least, he hoped he wouldn't..._

The dream was still sharp and clear in his mind, it was refusing to fade out like the first dream had faded, and Gadget didn't mind that at all.

He thought about Bess, and briefly closed his eyes, picturing her with the same modifications as Cindi and feeling sure if she had the same look as his fantasy woman, he would take her in his arms and lose control even faster than he had in his dream with Cindi...

As he stood up and buttoned up his trench coat and put on his hat, Jax came into the room.

"Another pleasant dream of wonderful landscapes?" he wondered as he smiled at him.

Gadget briefly smiled back.

"It certainly was. Thanks for this, Jax_. I needed it_."

He followed him from the room and felt sure his face was still flushed as they headed for the elevator.

As they stepped inside and the elevator began to descend, Jax spoke up again.

"Feel free to come over for another session when I open for business next week."

"I might do that," Gadget replied, and suddenly the idea seemed like a very good one.

As the doors opened, they stepped out of the elevator at the ground floor and Gadget thanked him again, and then walked away.

Jax turned back to elevator to go up and watch the recording all over again. He smiled as he stepped inside and pushed the button for the top floor, because he knew something the Inspector wasn't aware of:

His machine had linked with Gadget's own unique brain waves.

_He had not turned off that link._

Now his fantasies would linger, becoming more intense...

It would make him very keen to return for dreaming experiences. _And he could only wonder at what that would do to the Inspector's personal life..._

* * *

"Did you have a good time, G Man?" the car wondered.

Gadget smiled as the river became a blur of ripples reflecting sunset as the crossed the Riverton Bridge.

"Yes I did, Gadget Mobile."

Then Gadget fell silent as they headed for home, his thoughts wandering to the way Cindi looked as he wondered how long it would take to get what he wanted most of all:

_He loved Bess and he wanted to be with her forever._

_But he also wanted to persuade her to under go the same modifications as Cindi._

He knew he would have to make those plans carefully, starting with learning about the modification process. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but now all he could think about was Bess looking just like Cindi, and the more he thought about it, the more the idea thrilled him.

_He was sure he could persuade her if he went about it the right way..._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sanford Scolex was fighting against a rising sense of panic as he walked along the corridor towards the office of Brenda Bradford.

As he reached the door she opened it and the two of them almost collided, which was disconcerting for Brenda as she caught the intense stare about his eyes that reminded her of the man he used to be, back in the days when his name had been Claw...

"I'm sorry I delayed calling you, but I had to stay with Riley and then assess him before I could give you any kind of answers –"

"No Brenda!" he snapped, "You should have called me right away, how do you think I felt to hear my son has been cutting himself again? And why the devil did he do it, I thought you'd put a stop to that nonsense!"

Brenda looked at him apologetically.

She understood that he was upset, but Riley didn't know he was his son - and at the time her priority had been treating her patient, and then waiting to assess him to find out exactly how disturbed he had become, and to get to the root cause of it.

"I didn't want to tell you anything until I knew what was going on. Riley heard about Robo Gadget's reactivation and he started to think about the fact that the android had a new body. Obviously, it made him think about his own desire for a human body and he turned the frustration in on himself and sliced through a main cable in his arm. It's repaired now, he's resting, and he's going to be fine."

Sanford's eyes still blazed with anger.

_"Fine? He cut through a cable and could have died and you call that fine?"_

"He can't help the way he feels. He will _never_ truly adjust to having a cyborg body. Please try to understand that. I can help him, but I can't cure him. He won't stop until he gets the chance to have the whole body transplant and he won't care about the risk involved. I've done all I can for him. He's resting now and very tired but you're welcome to see him. Just be careful what you say."

Brenda had turned away to walk to Riley's door.

The sharpness of Sanford's tone made her stop and turn back.

"Now you're telling me to be _careful_ what I say to my own son?"

"Just don't make him feel guilty about what he's done. Try to understand. And he doesn't _know_ he's your son. He thinks you're a concerned friend. While he's so fragile I think it should stay that way."

Sanford looked back at her in surprise.

"_Well I wasn't thinking about telling him anyway!"_

But as he made that statement, he felt a twinge of regret.

"Maybe one day I'll tell him," he added, "I'm not saying never – just not at this moment. Now can you take me to my son, please?"

He still had anger and impatience set in his eyes.

"Sure," Brenda replied, keeping her tone calm and measured, "this way, Sanford..."

And she led him down the corridor towards Riley's room.

As they walked, Sanford said no more.

But he was starting to think about all she had said about Riley's determination to undergo the human body transplant.

He knew there was a very high risk of Riley dying either during or after the procedure, something he was determined to avoid. _And although he was no longer the villain who called himself Claw, he still had the ability to be devious._

A plan was forming in his mind, but when Brenda led him into his son's room and he sat beside his bed and spoke quietly to him, Sanford kept his plan silent, because it was something he couldn't share with anyone else – _at least, no one who wouldn't be of use in helping him carry it out..._

* * *

Taylor Braydon was lost in the dream world experience.

He was on his back on a soft bed hooked up to the machine and smiling in his sleep.

While Jax would have grabbed at the chance to take a sneaky glimpse into a dreamer's mind, in this case, he had no interest, because Taylor's dreams were of no interest to him.

But to Taylor, his dreams were wonderful...

_In his dream world, he was the cyborg leader of his people._

And this dream was no exception:

Taylor stood before the mirror and popped open a third button on his shirt and then turned to Emma.

"How do I look, my cyborg Queen?" he said, and gave her a goofy smile.

Emma smiled back at him.

Taylor loved the way she played along with him – even though she only did it because she was part of his dream...

"You look magnificent, Taylor!" she said as she gazed at the glimpse of micro chips that ran down his chest.

And then her smile faded as she thought of something.

"But you'd better not show too much man metal, not when speaking to your people – think of the women, honey – they might injure themselves when they pass out at the sight of you!"

Taylor smiled again and pride shone in his eyes.

"They have to get used to it," he announced, "now I'm off to the steps of the Braydon Mansion to speak to my subjects."

And Emma walked beside him as he headed for the door.

As he opened it, a throng of people tried to push against the line of cops who were forming a human barrier to stop the adoring crowd from surging forward.

"My cyborg people!" he said loudly, "I am here to greet you on this fine morning. Remember, we are one, we are family united."

And he cast a glance around at the women on the verge of hysteria, some held up banners that read, _I love you Taylor_.

And he felt his excitement rising as the women called his name. Some threw flowers, others threw underwear.

He looked down and couldn't see his shoes any more; they were buried beneath several inches deep of lacy panties and thornless roses.

"All right," he said kindly, and the women who cried his name breathlessly paused, waiting for him to do the one thing that would send them into a frenzy...

"Don't do it!" Emma warned him.

"But I must!" Taylor announced, "My people _need_ to see proof that I am one with them, joined by man metal..."

And then he tugged at his shirt, there were gasps as it fell open.

He stripped it off and the women went into a frenzy as the police struggled to keep the barrier from breaking.

Taylor held his arms out wide.

_"Enjoy my man metal, ladies, enjoy!"_

And they were dropping like flies, passing out on the street, against each other, into the arms of the cops that were trying to hold them back. Others were calling his name and Taylor was still smiling as he shifted his head against the pillow, and then gave a groan as the dream world vanished...

"Oh no, it ended too soon!" he whined, and disconnected the sensors and got up, as he rose from the bed Jax walked into the room and he shot him a disappointed look.

"That was only half an hour! I wanted much longer!"

"I'm sorry Taylor, but I'm a busy man." Jax replied, "This place opens for business in two day's time and I have a lot to do. I won't be having any more friends in for more private sessions until after the opening on Monday."

Taylor followed him out of the room and when he spoke again he still sounded disappointed.

"I wanted to have so much more fun in there!"

"And you can, next week." Jax promised him, "Now you'll have to see yourself out, Taylor – I have a lot to do."

And Jax turned and walked away, while Taylor turned back to the elevator.

He gave a sigh.

"Not fair!" he said quietly, "I wanted to play for _much _longer!"

Then he got into the elevator and hit the button for the ground floor, feeling sure it wouldn't be long until Jax could fit him in for another session; he couldn't wait, the dream world was intoxicating, exciting and addicting, too – and Taylor loved it. As he left the building he thought of Gadget and wondered if he felt the same way about the dreaming machine. He was sure he would be very surprised if he didn't like it, because it was the kind of experience he was sure everyone would go for.

Taylor guessed as he drove away from the facility that the dream machine _was_ addictive much, in the way a computer game could get a user hooked; but he saw no harm in it, because dreams were harmless..._dreams couldn't hurt anyone..._

* * *

Gadget had not stopped thinking about his dream encounter with Cindi.

The images still flickered at the back of his mind and haunted him, but in such a sweetly erotic way that he found it impossible to allow those thoughts to be weighed heavy with guilt.

_Instead his mind wandered to the idea of Bess having the same modifications._

The idea excited him so much it was an instant turn on - and one that he didn't know how to discuss with her:

Although he was a heavily modified cyborg, his alterations were not the same as Cindi's and he knew nothing about the procedure that created them. That made him feel as if a sudden discussion with Bess, before he knew the full facts and could talk to her on some kind of cybernetically knowledgeable level, would be doomed to failure.

So he made his plans, kissed her goodbye and set off in the Gadget Mobile, to Bess it was the start of just another day but to Gadget, it was far more – he couldn't keep his word and watch over the Robo Gadget situation until the week came to an end and Kramer took him home. That meant he had two more days to do as he pleased, and he intended to do just that...

He drove over to the cybernetics center and switched off the engine.

"I might be gone for a while," he said to the car, "I need to speak to Brenda about something."

And then he turned away as the car went into sleep mode, and hurried up the steps towards the entrance of the building, feeling his excitement mounting as he thought on the answers he intended to find.

As he entered the building, Sanford was leaving.

Gadget stopped and noticed the troubled look in his friend's eyes.

"Have you heard?" Sanford's voice was hushed.

"Heard what?" Gadget wondered.

"Riley cut himself again. He severed a main cable this time – but thankfully Brenda was able to repair the damage. I've just been to see him. He was very apologetic, but saying the same old stuff that no one understands him."

As Gadget saw the anguished look in his friend's eyes he wished he could help – but there was only so much anyone could do for Riley; he had the love and support of everyone close to him, yet it just wasn't enough to stop him sliding backwards sometimes...

"I know this must be hard for you," Gadget replied, "but all any of us can do is be there for him."

Sanford nodded slowly.

"But I'm his father," he replied, "and I should be doing more."

"But you can't change the way he feels! He was unsuitable for cybernetic treatment and he had it forced on him. He can't change his mind about how he feels being stuck in a cyborg body. He can't accept it."

"And I won't accept him demanding to undergo risky surgery to have that body replaced with flesh and blood!" Sanford told him," He's my son, I won't let him throw his life away like that."

"You can't stop him," Gadget replied sadly, "it's up to Riley."

Sanford's jaw tightened.

_"Or maybe not,"_ he said quietly, "if I can find a way to stop him, to save his life – _I'll do it_."

Gadget felt his heart sink as he saw such strong determination blazing in his eyes.

"Please step back from this, you have to think of what's best for him, what he wants to do –"

"Gadget, I appreciate all you're saying. But he's _my_ son and I have to try and protect him."

Sanford had sounded so resigned to his decision.

"How do you plan to do that?" he asked, "Brenda's already signed the paperwork to confirm he's suitable for the transplant when the treatment becomes available."

His words had little effect on his former enemy as Sanford shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. I'll have to find a way, and I'm sure I'll come up with something."

For a moment the two men looked at each other, and then Gadget briefly rested his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm always around," he reminded him, "so don't keep it bottled up. I'll listen any time."

Sanford nodded again.

"Thanks Gadget," he replied, and then he walked away in the direction of his parked car.

Gadget gave a sigh as he wished there was more he could do to help in such a sad situation, then he remembered his reason for visiting the lab, a world away from Sanford's – and he turned back to the entrance and stepped into the cybernetics center.

* * *

_Brenda Bradford had Jax on her mind._

She was in her office working, yet thinking of him at the same time, and thoughts had made her pause as she considered exactly how to handle him when she met up with him after work. When it came to handling him, with his medical history, _gently_ was the only word she could think of to best fit how she planned to be around him; he needed a kind, patient lover who would take things slowly, even if he hated the idea of being unable to be far more active and adventurous...

And then she heard a tap on the open door and she looked up from her desk and thoughts of Jax vanished as she smiled at Gadget.

"Hi!" she said warmly, "I wasn't expecting to see you today!"

"I heard about Riley," Gadget replied as he walked in and took a seat, "Sanford just told me all about it. He seems pretty cut up. I don't think he understands that Riley will never get over his need to be totally human once more. But I'm doing all I can for him, I think I got that across. Is that why you came to see me?"

Gadget felt slightly guilty as he thought again about the reason for Sanford's visit and how different it was to his own.

"No, I just wanted to find out about some ..._technical stuff._.."

Brenda nodded.

"Sure - what's this about?"

And she looked at him intently.

Gadget felt rather uncomfortable now, because she knew him well and was looking at him in the way only an old friend could look – like she could see straight through him...

"It's nothing really," Gadget began, "I was just curious about something, and ...well, I needed to know...I'm not even sure if I ought to be saying it like that, I got curious about certain cybernetic procedures and I wanted to know more."

And then he sat there in silence as Brenda shot him a questioning look.

"Okay, I understand that part – you're a cyborg, you've seen something new and you want to know more about it?"

Gadget shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Memories of his dream of Brenda and Bess were lurking at the back of his mind along with the sight of Cindi in nothing but the white dress, and he loosened his tie and took in a breath, hoping he could hold off from the flush growing enough to show in his face. But despite his best efforts, he still struggled to look her in the eye.

"It's about Cindi, Robo Brenda's friend. I noticed her modifications were like nothing I'd ever seen before and I wondered how it was done."

And then Gadget smiled despite how nervous he felt at bringing up the subject.

"I guess its because I'm heavily modified and its not often I see someone else the same as me – yet so differently designed."

To Gadget's great relief, Brenda just shrugged.

"Well," she said, "Cindi's design is specifically to deal with the repair and replacement function of certain parts of her body – she was in an accident, she had crush injuries...she had the brain and spinal implants to work with the damaged tissue to compensate for what was physically lost. And it was built in very tight, with a series of implants that linked together via an internal network. Any part of it can be accessed by a surgeon for emergency maintenance by removing a section of plating."

Gadget paused, hoping he was about to ask the next question in the right way.

Then it occurred to him that Brenda knew nothing of his dreams and secret longings, nor did she have a clue about his plans for Bess...

"I saw a TV show about how the artificial plating is worked into skin," he replied, "you know, with a scalpel carving out the top layers and the living metal laid over the top if it? Is that how Cindi's type of plating was made?"

"Yes, exactly the same way," Brenda replied, "the only difference is, with Cindi, she has the cybernetic workings beneath the surface. But the plating is identical to the decorative body art that's so popular these days."

"Is it painful?" he asked.

"It's all done under anesthesia, and the metal bonds instantly with the stripped out section of tissue, so the healing is instant. It would depend on how much work a person wanted doing with the decorative plating, though a small amount would just require a local anesthetic."

Gadget looked at her.

Brenda looked back at him.

"Did you want to know anything else?"

Asking questions was becoming easier now.

"How come she needs the wig? If the plating is that easy to remove why doesn't she just grow her hair around it?"

"She can't," Brenda replied, "with those kind of implants the plating comes off and a second protective layer peels back down to brain tissue. If she needed an emergency repair it's important that the area is kept exposed and free from any kind of obstruction that could introduce bacteria. When those kind of implants are inserted, the patient has the scalp treated to permanently remove all trace of hair. It's the same with body hair if smaller cybernetic work is needed in the groin area – not at all like your situation, where most of your body was destroyed in an explosion and simply rebuilt with metal plating. You have a mix of cybernetic skin covering and standard plating. Cindi's work is much more delicate and condensed and done quite recently, too – that's why it's so different you your own."

"I see," Gadget replied, "so the decorative metal work isn't painful then?"

"No," Brenda replied.

"Do many people have their hair removed for cybernetic work?" he wondered.

"A few, if they need the kind of implants Cindi has. And I would guess there's a handful of people who have had it done because they wanted to take the decorative body metal even further, but it's not common."

"Have you ever had someone come in for that kind of treatment purely for cosmetic reasons?"

Brenda nodded.

"We've had a handful of requests and carried them out. But as I said, not many people go for that because if it's not necessary, it's a permanent procedure and requires a lot of thought first."

Gadget kept his mind firmly on the questions he wanted to ask instead of allowing his mind to wander and imagine Bess with the finished result.

"Is the hair removal painful?"

"Not painful but slightly uncomfortable. It's a very quick procedure, over in ten minutes, The patient's hair is washed in a chemical solution and then it's rinsed off and the hair slides off with it, taking every follicle and leaving the scalp bare. It's one hundred percent effective in its permanence, and apart from a mild burning sensation, there's nothing more to it –providing the patient is mentally prepared for the fact that permanent _does_ mean forever. Have I answered all your questions?"

Gadget took in a deep breath and nodded.

"Thanks," he said, "I just wondered how it all worked. I'd better get going now; I've got work to do."

And he forced a smile and left the room quickly, his mind full of facts as he wondered how to approach the subject with Bess. He had a few hours to think about it, because it was still early in the morning. But he had already decided, when he got home that night, he would be speaking with her about it...

* * *

Later, as evening began to gather shades of dusk, Gadget arrived home with a mind full of plans that excited him far more than he dared to think about in case his excitement took over and ruined his attempt at persuasion.

Bess was in the front room, on the sofa, watching out the window as the chilly breeze skipped across waves that rolled to shore with the sound of the rush of sand and shells and pebbles mixed together.

She looked up at him and smiled and he smiled back at her and sat down beside her.

"How was work?" she asked him.

"Quiet." Gadget shifted a little closer to her, looking deeply into her eyes.

"Honey, there's something I want to talk to you about. It's rather unconventional and I don't want you to hate me if you don't like the sound of it, but I saw someone with a certain look and I couldn't forget it, and I kept picturing it and it's been driving me crazy!"

Interest sparked in her eyes.

"You know you can tell me anything, Gadget. And this sounds very interesting...something that _excites_ you? What can it possibly be? You want me to steal some equipment from the lab and set up a little treatment room for our games, maybe?"

And she giggled.

Gadget didn't smile even though amusement danced in her eyes.

"_It's about the new trend for cybernetic body art,"_ he said, _"I find it a huge turn on."_

Her eyes widened.

"Oh God, Gadget – don't you think you're modified enough? Please don't tell me you want some decorative plates too!"

As he spoke again his voice lowered as he looked at the woman he loved and hoped she would still love him when he had finished explaining.

"I am very drawn to women who have – or at least, look like that have – the same level of cybernetic mods as me. I can't forget seeing Cindi when I put her on the table in the lab."

Bess frowned as she thought back.

"You mean when you had to take her in the lab because her implant was failing?"

Gadget nodded.

"Brenda had to remove her clothing – and her wig. I saw her smooth body, all flesh and delicate metal and it _wasn't _her, I wasn't attracted to Cindi – it was her _look_. After that I couldn't stop thinking about that look."

Bess raised an eyebrow.

"Well I guess you'd just seen a different form of modification and it must have fascinated you. I get that. Don't feel bad about finding it exciting. I've seen Cindi's notes and she's _very_ heavily modified, just in a different way to you."

Gadget briefly looked away from her as his throat went dry and it suddenly hit him how hard it would be to ask her to do such a thing.

He took in a slow breath and met her gaze once more.

"The way she looks is my absolute dream come true, Bess. Since I saw her, all I can think about is..."

He paused again, shifting even closer as he took hold of her hand.

"I wish _you_ looked like her. I mean _all_ of it, the plating on her head, the metalwork down her back...I know I'm being selfish but I wish, I _really_ wish you would consider it."

Bess laughed nervously.

"You want me to get some plating fixed to my body? You want my hair follicles destroyed chemically, permanently, and have decorative metal on my scalp?"

Gadget looked at her pleadingly.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but I would be so happy if you looked like that."

Bess let go of his hand, running her fingers through brown hair that was streaked with red.

"You're seriously asking me to have plating I don't need that will remain in place for the rest of my life? And you want me to have my hair removed too? Gadget, that stuff is strong, it takes ten minutes to apply and I'd be bald for the rest of my life!"

"_But you'd look so beautiful,"_ he said quietly.

Bess got up from the chair and shook her head as she looked back at Gadget.

"I understand you subconsciously need to feel that you're with someone who is enhanced like you, who's _maybe_ been through the same – or at least, _looks_ like they have. But I'm not having metal laid into my skin and all my hair removed simply because you saw some attractive plating and got turned on! How do you think I would feel, having all that metal on me, knowing my hair would never grow again? Please keep your ideas in the _real_ world, honey! There's _no way_ I'd do a thing like that!"

And Bess walked out of the room, closing the door loudly behind her.

Gadget leaned back against the softness of the chair and gave a weary sigh; he had not expected her to react with such anger, and he felt crushed to think his careful planning and approach to the subject had come to nothing...

* * *

Penny had just put her son to bed for the evening.

While their baby slept, she had dinner with Sanford, who was unusually quiet.

She had got used to him coming home full of tales of what had gone on at the police department, who Quimby had yelled at and why, it was as if Sanford, now living the life of a reformed man, was fascinated by the ordinary world he had so long been unable to take part in during the time he had called himself Claw.

But on this evening, he barely spoke and when dinner was over he reached for a glass of wine and sipped it, put it back down and then folded his arms on the polished table and looked across the candle light at Penny.

"Sorry, I'm not much company tonight, am I..."

Penny gave a sigh.

"Listen, fat boy – everyone has a bad day once in a while. It's okay, it just confirms you really are as human as the rest of us."

Suddenly pain reflected in his eyes and that pain seemed so much sharper by the glow of the candles.

_"Riley cut himself again. Brenda patched him up and he said he'll try not to do it again – but I didn't know about it until well after the event. I wish I'd known sooner."_

Penny reached across the table and covered the back of his hand with a soft touch of her fingertips.

"But he doesn't know you're his dad. Maybe when he's more emotionally together again, you should tell him."

Her words opened up a floodgate; he had been holding back on the subject for so long and as tears shone in his eyes he told her something he had not shared with anyone else, even his closest friend Gadget:

"I _want_ to tell him! I've wanted to tell him since the day I found out the truth but every time I think about it I lose my nerve! I picture him turning away from me in disgust because of who I used to be!"

Penny shook her head.

"He won't do that. He's already getting close to you as a friend, he knows you're a changed man, you're nothing like Claw any more, Sanford! He knew you back in those days and now he can see the difference! And he's not perfect; he was on the run for a long time and had plans to be the kind of criminal even _you_ were scared of once! He's changed, you've changed. Why can't you make the most of that and be open with him?"

He struggled to find the right words and instead relied on that new idea that he was still getting used to applying to all situations: _honesty._

"I'm scared," he admitted, "I really am terrified my son will reject me. That's why I haven't told him, Penny."

She briefly smiled as a thought came to mind.

"Well, I used to hate your guts, but now I'm your wife and we have a kid together. Doesn't that tell you something?"

"It tells me I'm bloody lucky to have you!"

"And what else?"

"That you love me."

"And what else?" she said again, but Sanford just looked at her blankly.

Penny gave another sigh.

"_Forgiveness_, Sanford! He can forgive your past, you've let go of his too, you don't bring up how Riley used to be a bad guy! I sometimes think the only person haunted by your past is _you_! Even my Uncle Gadget has let go of it all. When he looks at you he doesn't see Claw, he sees Sanford, his close friend, the man who saved his life!"

Sanford remained silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts, and then he looked back across the table at Penny and as she caught a strange look his eyes she frowned.

"Why are you looking at me like that, like you don't trust me?"

"I'm trying to work out if I _can_ trust you, I hope I can. _I'm planning to stop Riley having the body transplant._"

His voice had been hushed but there was a flicker of darkness about his eyes as he had spoken. He was determined to have his own way and in that second, Penny didn't want to think she had caught a glimpse of Claw, but it had been there...

"Oh no, _NO_ I will _not_ let you get in trouble! You've got a new life now and you have me and SJ to think of!"

As she sat there he noticed one of her hands had screwed up briefly into a fist as anger glittered in her eyes.

"Please understand," he told her, "how would you feel if it was SJ who was in Riley's position? Would you sit back and let his obsession drive him to an early grave?"

"That's not fair!" Penny said sharply, "You can't bring SJ into this, he's a baby!"

"But just imagine he was Riley's age. Imagine how you would feel if he wanted to go through a procedure that he didn't need that would most likely kill him. Would you stand back and watch him go to his death?"

Penny looked hard at her husband.

_"No,"_ she replied, _"I guess I wouldn't."_

Sanford took another sip of wine and put the glass down again.

"Damned right you wouldn't – you'd drag his ass all the way home and lock him up if that was what it took to stop him!"

"You're right about that," she replied, "so why do I get such a bad feeling when you tell me you're planning to stop him? What are you up to?"

Sanford took another mouthful of wine, then another, needing the booze to lend him strength.

"If I tell you," he began, "it _must_ remain a secret between us. You can't tell Gadget because he won't approve. It's not exactly illegal and it's for Riley's own good... and I'm doing it without his consent. I'm going to have a little more cybernetic technology implanted into him to reprogram his mind to stop him rejecting the android body."

Penny stared at him.

"You're going to _force_ him to accept what he hates the most?"

"It's only his psychological problem that makes him think that way! If I can wipe that out, he's got a lifetime to look forward to!"

"But it's not what he wants," Penny said in a shocked voice as she sat there staring at Sanford and wondering if Claw really was gone after all, "you can't force him to change his thinking. What about his free will? He has a right to choose!"

"But he doesn't have a right to hack his body to pieces because he hates the cybernetic technology inside him, nor does he have the right to undertake a risk so great that he'll most likely die while he chases a dream he can't have – it's not worth it, Penny! He wants a human body now - but if I can wipe out that thought, he'll be fine and I won't lose my son and SJ won't lose his older brother."

Penny slowly shook her head.

"_I can't believe I'm hearing this. I thought you'd changed for the better. Maybe I was wrong."_

Her words wounded him and hurt reflected in his eyes.

"You _know _I'm a changed man!" he exclaimed, "How could you say such a thing to me?"

Tears filled Penny's eyes as she got up and left the table, walking over to the window as she looked out at a garden rapidly being swallowed up by nightfall.

"I just don't understand how you could disregard his wishes like that. He's your son."

"_And I'm determined to save his life."_

Sanford was behind her now, his hands on her shoulders as she looked into his eyes, and at that moment they seemed as dark as the glass that reflected them as shadows fell beyond the window.

"And how do you propose to save him?" Penny asked in a hushed voice, "You can't do this on your own."

"I was hoping Dr Kramer could help. If I showed him how an implant worked he would be able to write the necessary commands into it to convince Riley's mind that he now accepts his android body."

Penny looked back at his reflection in the glass as he stood behind her.

"Kramer?" she said, "Really? After the way he used to be so scared of you when you forced him to turn his skills to crime?"

Sanford laughed nervously and shrugged, trying to brush off her concerns.

"Like you said, everyone changes. I've seen him a few times since then and he knows I've changed. I'm sure he'd understand, he would want to help, he's a kind person."

"You can't ask him to get involved in this."

Sanford let go of her shoulders and ran a gentle hand down her waist.

"Yes I can. And I will, and I have to hope that he will agree to it. No one else knows about this, Penny. I'm trusting you because I love you, because you're my wife."

Penny turned around and met his gaze, seeing a flicker of fear in his eyes.

"_Please tell me I can trust you," _he whispered.

Penny nodded.

"_It's not right but I understand,"_ she replied_, "and yes, you can trust me."_

Then Sanford took her in his arms, embracing her tightly as Penny wondered if she had just made a huge mistake...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Brenda was sitting alone by the window on the top floor of the main facility at Waking Dreams, waiting for Jax.

They had already enjoyed a pleasant dinner where little was spoken of, save the opening of the new facility. Jax had avoided the subject he had brought up on the phone the day before. Then he had gone out of the room, leaving her alone in a comfortable, well furnished apartment and disappeared through a doorway that led out to the control room.

She gave a sigh as she waited and wondered how to approach the subject of his difficulties because of the injuries sustained in his accident. He had smiled on greeting her but seemed tense, and she guessed the reason why...

The room was silent but for the ticking of a wall clock that bore gold roman numerals and was encase in polished oak.

Jax had been gone for some time...

Curiosity was getting the better of her as her eyes wandered towards the direction of his desk, an old fashioned bureau that looked to be antique and matched all the other dark polished wood in this room.

Brenda got up, pausing to turn up the dimmer switch to brighten the room as night fell outside and sent shadows lurking.

She went over to the desk and felt a mix of guilt and burning curiosity – she didn't know what she was looking for or why she was doing this, but a need to know more was driving her, it was instinct and Brenda had always listened to that, so she stepped behind the desk and turned a key that was set in a locked drawer.

As the lock sprang back, she carefully opened it.

Jax seemed like a nice guy.

But it wasn't enough, because she was suspicious and exactly what made her feel that way was something she was yet to discover, but she needed to know...

Brenda looked up, listened for sounds of his return, then reached into the open drawer and shifted paperwork about.

She found papers regarding mainly the building work that had been recently completed, lists of payments made for materials...nothing at all out of the ordinary.

Then something small and silver caught her eye, so she grabbed it and closed the drawer and locked it again.

Then she sat down once more by the window, frowning as she turned the object over in her hand:

It was a silver vial with a numbered dial around the top, much like the sprays used by those who wanted to try the dreaming experience. But this one was different; the numbers started at five and went up to twenty and there were no contents listed on it, unlike the safety approved sprays used by the dreamers.

Brenda opened up her purse and took out a cotton handkerchief and popped the top of the vial and quickly sprayed a liberal amount on to the cotton, then folded it and put it back in her purse.

As she closed the lid of the vial she frowned; this was not the natural spray approved for use with the dreaming machine; that was a light, aromatherapy based mix that smelled like roses.

This was something else; it stank of strong chemicals...

_What was Jax doing with a different version of the spray?_

_And what the hell was in it?_

Brenda made a move to put the vial back in the drawer but then she heard footsteps, so she hastily rolled it across the floor, under the desk, and then sat back by the window, feeling guilty but overtaken with burning curiosity as Jax opened the door again.

He smiled warmly at Brenda as he joined her, sitting close on the sofa as he draped his arm across the back of it and leaned in a little more.

"I just had to check the machinery was all ready for the opening. I can't believe it's just one day away! I'm so excited."

"Jax, we need to talk."

He blinked.

"_About what?"_

"You _know _what. We need to talk about the effect your accident had on you. I meant what I said, I want to take it slowly, honey. I understand, it doesn't make me care for you any less."

"Really?"

The look in his eyes seemed so emotional, so searching – but he was silently cursing himself for coming up with the plan to fake his medical notes and make it look as if he had suffered like Gadget, while it had worked and got him the woman of his dreams, that same woman was now thinking about the details on those fake notes and determined to handle him with great care...which meant he wouldn't be getting what he wanted for quite a while, and he now he wanted to kick himself for it...

"Brenda, about my notes – I don't think we should think about that too much. I'm feeling just fine at this moment and that's all that matters. Let's make the most of this evening!"

And he leaned even closer for a kiss, but she pulled back sharply.

"I can't ignore what I read in your notes. And I need you to tell me about some of the meds you're on - there didn't seem to be too much detail, maybe they forgot to send over that part –"

"_NO!"_

Jax saw the look of surprise she gave him and knew at once he had spoken too sharply.

"I...I mean...let's leave the subject alone. I want to be with you and be happy and _not_ think about all that!"

His tone had softened but Brenda shook her head.

"I meant it, Jax – I care about you deeply. I think I'm falling in love with you. So I need to know everything, I'm a doctor; if you get sick and I'm here I want to be able to help you."

Jax gave a heavy sigh as he shook his head, regretting the day he had come up with the plan to fake those notes just to make himself seem as brave as Gadget...

"So what meds are you on?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter." Jax was breaking out into a sweat now.

"It _does_ matter; just _tell_ me, I need to know!"

"You told me you loved me. Well I love you too, so let's talk about _that_ instead, shall we?"

Brenda caught a look in his eyes that seemed a mix of desire and desperation.

Her heart softened and she leaned in and they shared a kiss.

It was brief and gentle and Brenda pulled back, but Jax caught her arms, pulling her close once more and kissing her again. This time the kiss was deeper and lasted longer.

Brenda pulled back again, but now he saw desire in her eyes.

"I do love you, Jax," she said softly, "I just want to be careful for your sake...you know what I mean, take things slow."

Jax got up and took her by the hand, pulling her to her feet as passion burned bright in his eyes.

"Let's go through to the bedroom and take things slowly," he added, and Brenda kissed him again as she pushed aside all suspicions and thoughts of holding back.

Then he led her through the bedroom and closed the door.

* * *

"_What are we doing here, G Man?"_

The car sounded agitated.

Gadget gave no reply as he stood up and used his _go go gadget binoculars_ to spy through the open curtains of the front room of the house across the street.

"Hey Gadget, quit spying on people! You've been doing that all morning!"

The binoculars disappeared once more and Gadget sat down again, looking sharply at the face on the screen.

"I wasn't spying, Gadget Mobile! I was observing Robo Brenda's house."

"Why?"

"Because the Chief asked me to keep an eye on Robo Gadget and I thought Robo Brenda might have met up with him by now, maybe got to know him."

"But Robo Brenda drove away twenty minutes ago, you _saw _her leave."

Gadget shrugged.

"So perhaps I'd rather ask Cindi some questions instead. Robo Gadget's more likely to be close to Robo Brenda than Cindi, and I think Cindi might be able to tell me how things are going."

"Sounds strange to me," the car replied, but Gadget had already got out and walked off towards the house.

A brief moment of nervousness crept over him as he thought about the experience in the dreaming machine.

_But none of it had been real._

_Why did it feel so real and why did those images keep flickering through his mind?_

Gadget couldn't shake it off.

He took in a deep breath and loosened his tie, hoping the growing flush in his face wouldn't be too noticeable.

_He still remembered the look of her in that white dress, the feel of her smooth skin, the way that had made love..._

Gadget blinked.

None of that had happened; it had all been a dream.

He started to wonder why it still felt so vivid, so real...

A sudden thought hit him that was so disturbing he hoped he had to be wrong:

_What if the dreaming machine was dangerous, what if it permanently imprinted memories, maybe even caused hallucinations?_

He was yet to hallucinate, but his thoughts had just been briefly mixed up in a _very_ bad way, as he had believed just for a moment, that he really _had_ cheated on Bess with Cindi...

And then another thought came to mind:  
_Why the hell was he spying on her and turning up at her house like this?_

Gadget wanted to turn away and leave, but it was too late as the door opened.

And he got the sinking feeling that this situation was about to get worse...

Cindi was wrapped in a short, light bathrobe. She had also wrapped a towel around her head to hide her baldness.

"Oh, Hi there Inspector Gadget!" she said warmly, "Sorry about me being dripping wet – I just got out the shower! Do come in."

And Gadget went into the house, feeling sure this scenario could have come straight out of one of those blue movies her and Brenda used to make...

* * *

As the door closed he stood in the hallway feeling very awkward indeed.

Cindi smiled as she looked up at him.

"What can I do for you, Gadget?"

_And plenty of answers ran thorough his mind and he was proud of none of them._

"I was wondering if you or Robo Brenda had seen anything of Robo Gadget. I very much want to get to know him when Kramer brings him home. I was hoping we could start again, as friends instead of enemies this time."

Cindi's eyes shone with admiration.

"That's such a kind thought!" she exclaimed, and Gadget felt guilty on so many levels.

Cindi reached up to hold the towel in place on her head as it slipped a fraction.

"I'll make you a coffee and then we can sit down and talk about it."

And she went through to the kitchen. As she walked, Gadget watched her body shift beneath the bathrobe, and he thought about the strip of metal that ran down her back.

Then Cindi stopped at the doorway and glanced back at him.

"Front room's through there," she told him, gesturing to a door across the hall.

Then she went into the kitchen and Gadget went through to the front room – which looked, by the heavy pattern of the soft furnishings, as if it was an explosion in floral print – no doubt Robo Brenda's choice.

Gadget sat down on a sofa and looked at the glass coffee table set in front of it.

The sunlight streaming through the window reached the surface of the glass and made it shine, reminding him of the way the moonlight had made the perfect smooth skin and polished metal on Cindi's head gleam on the night they had _– NO, it had just been a dream..._

"_Stop it!"_ Gadget muttered, _"Don't think about it!"_

He looked up sharply as the door opened.

_"I could wear it for you again,"_ Cindi offered.

Gadget's eyes grew wider.

"What did you say?"

Cindi smiled at him and set the coffee down on the table, then took a seat on the other comfortable sofa and looked across the table at him.

"I said I didn't put any sugar in the coffee. Do you take sugar?"

Gadget shook his head.

"It's just fine as it is," he replied, smiling politely and taking a sip, while his mind was spinning as he wondered why he had just hallucinated an extension of the dream.

He thought about Bess. Then he thought about what he wanted her to do and those thoughts led him back to the woman who was looking at him so innocently across the table.

"So you want to know about Robo Gadget? Well me and Brenda went over to the lab, and Robo Gadget was up and talking. He seemed a little bit confused. Kramer said it was best if we left so he could explain some stuff to him. I haven't seen him since. And it's great about Robo Brenda, have you heard the news?"

"What news?" Gadget wondered.

"She found her sperm donor."

"Who is it?"

Cindi shrugged.

"I haven't a clue. Apparently some guy walked into the Braydon Hospital in town and said he wanted to be a sperm donor for the android lady called Brenda who wanted to have a baby. He asked that his identity would be kept secret. He signed the paperwork but gave a name and address that turned out to be false. And the nurse who dealt with him said he swore her to secrecy – it was part of the deal. So won't even describe him. But what a nice thing to do for Robo Brenda!"

Gadget nodded, feeling surprised.

"So it looks like she's going to get her baby then."

"I hope so."

Cindi's smile faded.

"Is something on your mind, Gadget? You're looking at me kind of_...intensely_."

Gadget drew in a breath and shifted awkwardly in his seat.

"Sorry."

He thought about reaching for the coffee but he was so nervous he was sure a glitch would strike and send the coffee spilling all over the table, so he didn't bother to try.

Cindi was looking at him with interest.

"If there's something on your mind I'm happy to listen."

All of a sudden Gadget felt caught out. Perhaps it was the softness of her eyes or the kind tone of her voice, or both, he didn't know exactly what had affected him so deeply, but as he looked at her across the table he felt he had to be honest, even if he caused offense. He was sure her asking him to leave would be much better than keeping these thoughts bottled up, thoughts that weighed him down with so much guilt...

"I saw you," he said in a hushed voice as he looked down at the table, "when you collapsed. I carried you into the lab and Brenda undressed you and I saw your body...all your metalwork..."

Suddenly it seemed as if there was little air left in the room as he tried to breathe, and then he slowly met her gaze and hoped she would not be angry.

"I saw you with your clothes off...I saw everything and I thought you looked so very beautiful, Cindi. I realize it's something that you like to hide but I can't help thinking if you were with me, I wouldn't allow you to hide it. I'd have to let the world see how beautiful you look, all smooth skin and blended metal...it's the stuff that dreams are made of for me. I just wanted you to know that. I'm _so_ sorry if I've cause you offense."

Gadget got up and turned to leave.

"_Wait!"_

Gadget turned back and looked at her, regretting the fact that he had ever shared that secret, because she was sure to hate him for it...

But he saw no anger in Cindi's eyes.

"You don't have to leave," she said gently, "I don't usually talk about the way I look. I hide it because I hate it, I think it's ugly."

Gadget walked back across the room and stood in front of her, looking at her in surprise.

"I think you look exquisitely beautiful," he told her honestly.

Cindi still had sadness in her eyes.

"But I don't feel that way. There's this guy I like – actually its Dr Kramer – I'd love to get to know him, but if I did, I have to explain what I really look like underneath and that's not easy."

"I'm sure Kramer would love you just as you are," Gadget replied, "and he works in cybernetics. Taylor once told me Kramer loves the kind of movies you and Robo Brenda used to make. He loves cyborg women just like Taylor does."

"And just like _you_ do?"

She smiled as she said those words.

Gadget smiled too and felt his face flush.

"I am drawn to heavily modified women, yes. But never as drawn as I have been to you. I love Bess, I would never hurt her but I wish she had your mods, I can't stop thinking about that – or you, the way you look..."

And Cindi's eyes shone with warmth.

"Well I guess it's flattering, especially coming from the great Inspector Gadget...the very _handsome_ Inspector Gadget."

"Maybe I've said to much," he replied, "I didn't intend to upset you."

Cindi stepped closer and kept her gaze locked on his own.

"Would..." she hesitated, knowing it was a difficult situation, and just asking made her feel nervous, but she tried again:

"Would you like me to show you again?"

Gadget didn't need to think about his answer, instinct spoke for him.

"_Yes,"_ he said in a hushed voice, _"yes please."_

Cindi turned her back and began to untie her bathrobe.

Gadget suddenly felt immensely nervous and guilty all at the same time.

_"I'm not in love with you, I'm in love with Bess, I'm not trying to seduce you, it's just the way you look and I can't forget it and you don't know what it does to me..."_

"Okay," she replied softly, "I know that. And I like you too and I _want _you to see it again."

Gadget caught his breath as her bathrobe slipped from her body.

She was naked beneath it but as she stood with her back to him, all he could look at was the way the metal snaked gracefully down her spine.

_"Everything?"_ she said quietly.

"Yes," he whispered.

She reached up and loosened the towel, and then let it fall to the floor.

As she turned around Gadget was speechless as he took in the sight of her smooth skin blended with metal.

"Can I_...touch?_" he said in a low voice that trembled as much as his hand as he cautiously raised it.

Cindi took hold of his hand and gently placed it on her cheek, then closed her eyes as she slid it higher, gliding his hand over her bald head, as his touch felt light across skin and gleaming metal she smiled as she opened her eyes.

"I have to admit it feels good to be touched like that."

Gadget stood closer and reached up with his other hand, sweeping both over her bare head, feeling soft flesh and metal beneath his touch as his pupils dilated and his breathing became heavier.

"_I can't take a lot of this..."_

Cindi took hold of his hands and drew him down to the carpet, where they both knelt facing each other.

"It's okay," she said softly, "no one's ever liked the way I really look before. Just do what you want to do...I'm quite sure, it's okay, Gadget..."

_He didn't need to be told twice._

As Cindi lay back on the carpet he ran his hands over her head, kissing smooth flesh and gleaming metal, then turned her over and kissed down her metallic spine.

All the while he was holding her he felt taken over by a desperate need that he couldn't fight; he knew he would suffer the pain of guilt afterwards, but all control was rapidly lost as he felt the heat rising in his sensors.

She was on her side and he was running his hands over her as he blinked back tears.

_"I can't make love to you...I can't hurt Bess like that...It's not you, Cindi...I'm only loving the way you look, it wouldn't be right –"_

"It's okay," her voice was soft and Gadget turned on his back, losing his hat as he rolled over on the carpet and he thought of Bess and gave a sob.

Then he looked up at Cindi and even his regret at his own actions couldn't stop the heat rising in his sensors and he knew those pleasure circuits were about to hit peak and over load regardless, and Cindi knew it too.

"It's okay," she said again softly, "I know, honey...I know what you need..."

She slipped her hand beneath his trench coat, sliding her hand gently over his sensors, touching him over his clothes.

"Oh I don't want to cheat on her...I just want to look at you... that's all...let me _look._.."

Tears ran down his face as he took in a sharp breath, giving a gasp at the sudden explosion of pleasure as his sensors hit peak.

He was shaking and crying at the same time and as the pleasure faded away, Cindi shifted closer to him and gave him a gentle hug.

"It _wasn't_ cheating," she whispered, kissing his tear stained cheek, "it was just you getting hot over something you saw. It doesn't matter that it was me involved there somewhere. It's the way I look, _not_ you and me. "

And she swept her hand over his hair and handed him his hat.

As she let go of him, Gadget sat up and wiped his eyes.

"Sorry I got so emotional, I never should have let things get this far."

As he got to his feet so did she and then Cindi paused to put on her bathrobe.

She leaned over to pick up the robe and he saw the way the light gleamed on the metallic strip that ran down her spine - and felt the stirrings of more heat in his pleasure sensors.

"Sorry," he said again.

Cindi smiled as she looked into his eyes.

"Don't be," she told him, "No one's ever reacted to the _real_ me like that before. It makes me think perhaps I am beautiful after all."

Gadget took one last look at her bare head, so perfectly blended into metal, and gently ran his hand over her smooth skin as he looked intently at her, wishing he would never forget this moment or every detail of her perfection, so that when he watched Bess while she was sleeping, he could allow himself a moment to dream and imagine her with the same modifications.

"You_ are_ beautiful," he promised her, "I swear it, you are."

Cindi gave him a hug.

"Let's just pretend this didn't happen, you've got Bess to think of."

"I want Bess to look like you. I want it so much it's all I can think about."

"Then you should talk to her about it."

Gadget gave a sigh as he put on his hat, straightened up his clothing as he glanced to the mirror and then he looked sadly back at Cindi.

"I want her to look just like you, I mean the same kind of mods. She won't even think about it."

"Gadget, this means a lot to you. I think you need to tell her how bad you want this, how much it would mean to you."

Gadget nodded.

"I'll try," he replied.

"You'd better go," Cindi said kindly, "Forget about what just happened here – think about you and Bess. I'm sure you'll reach some kind of a compromise."

"I wish we could," He replied.

As Cindi walked with him to the door, he said goodbye to her, taking one last look at her; she hadn't bothered to cover up her head now and the sight of the flesh and metal blended looked so beautiful he wanted to cry all over again as he recalled how Bess had reacted to his suggestion.

"Just talk to her," Cindi said again.

Then she watched Gadget walk back to the car, before closing the front door and pausing to look into the hallway mirror.

As she recalled Gadget's touch, his need for her, the way he had told her she was beautiful, she started to smile as she looked into the glass.

Cindi had always made a point, since being modified, of never looking at herself with out her wig, but now as she ran her hand over smooth flesh and shining metal, she suddenly saw herself in a new light:

_At last she felt truly beautiful._

* * *

"What's up, G Man?"

The car had asked out of concern because it was unused to Gadget getting in and slamming the door so hard.

Gadget kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead as he drove away from Cindi's house, refusing to look down at the screen.

"Nothing. I just remembered I need to get home and tell Bess something – she's on a half day today, not going to work until mid day...I need to see her."

And he stifled a sob as he blinked furiously, trying to hold back the tears that stung at his vision.

"What's the matter with you?"

The Gadget Mobile had asked out of genuine concern.

"Leave it." Gadget said quietly, and continued to drive.

"No, I won't leave it! Why did you storm out of there in a bad mood? What did Cindi say?"

_"It's nothing to do with her! Shut up and don't ask me again!"_

As Gadget glared down at the screen, surprise registered in the eyes of the computerized face.

"You've been crying, Gadget. What's wrong?"

They had hit the long straight road that led towards home and Gadget pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the engine.

"What's wrong?" the car repeated.

Gadget gripped the wheel tighter as he gave a sob and tears began to run down his face.

"I love Bess so very much," he said in a hushed voice, "I could never betray her, I would never do it, I don't know what I did back there but its not about Cindi, its about me and Bess and what I want..."

And he gave another sob.

The face on the screen paused for thought.

"Well, you've got me confused," it said, "I didn't understand a word of that. You love Bess. You'd never cheat on her. So what's wrong?"

Gadget took in a couple of deep breaths and wiped his eyes, brushing the sleeve of his trench coat quickly across his face.

"Nothing, I just need to tell Bess how much I love her." he replied, and now he felt much stronger.

"And nothing is wrong? Are you _sure_ about that?" the car asked.

"Don't ask me again," Gadget replied, and started up the engine once more.

* * *

Gadget drove the rest of the way home in silence.

His thoughts were fixed on Bess as the space where his human heart had once been, that was now occupied by a titanium replacement, ached painfully as he thought about what he had done with Cindi.

It was true he had not made love with her, but he had allowed her to caress him until his pleasure sensors hit peak, he had run his hands over her body, kissing that blend of flesh and metal like he never wanted to stop...

_He didn't love Cindi._

_It wasn't even about her._

_Even Cindi had reminded him of that..._

He gave a heavy sigh as he parked outside his house and switched off the engine.

"Are you okay now?" the Gadget Mobile asked carefully.

Gadget nodded.

"Don't worry about me." he replied, and got out of the car.

* * *

Bess hadn't heard Gadget arrive back home.

She was in the bedroom, sat at the dressing table as she brushed her hair and then put down the hairbrush, recalling what he had asked her to do.

She looked back into the mirror and studied her reflection.

Then she ran her fingers through brown hair streaked with red and recalled how she loved to style it and color it and...

_No._

She shook her head; there was no way she could do what Gadget asked.

It meant a lot to him, she knew that, but it was her body and she had never even had a tattoo, let alone given thought to other modifications, especially not the cybernetic kind...

Her gaze shifted to the photos on the wall.

She lingered for a moment on an old picture of Penny as a young girl with her uncle beside her, back in the days before the explosion.

Back then he had been human, with no machine parts inside him...

Then she looked at the newer picture, the one of Gadget she had taken a year ago at Taylor Braydon's party.

_He looked older._

_But not much older._

_Certainly not his true age, because he was heavily modified and that had a big impact on his human body – he would age very slowly and live for a very long time._

_Much longer than she would..._

_And that was when it hit her._

Bess looked back at her own reflection and saw her totally human, unmodified body that would last a mere single human lifespan.

_Gadget would outlive her._

_He would live on long after she had gone, unless she took a big step to join him..._

She took in a slow breath as she thought about far more than decorative metal added to her flesh.

If she was going to do this, she was going all the way with it, because she wanted to be around for Gadget forever.

They were getting married next year. She wanted to live for centuries with this man, and the only way to do that would be to become a cyborg...

She looked into the glass, into her own eyes as she thought more on the subject:

_If she was going to become a cyborg, she may as well become the cyborg of his dreams, too – because a marriage that would last a few centuries needed excitement to keep it going strong..._

She ran her fingers through her hair again and blinked away tears.

_This was her human body. _

_Just a human body._

_It wouldn't last long without some kind of modification anyway, because humans aged and got sick and died eventually. _

_Only cyborg technology had the ability to slow aging and extend lifespan..._

Then Gadget walked into the room.

"Bess," he said, as he took off his hat and trench coat, "I need to talk to you. It's about what I said last night –"

"I need to talk to you too," she said in a hushed voice.

Gadget felt a flicker of alarm, wondering why her tone had become so serious.

"What's wrong, honey?"

Bess got up and walked over to him.

"My reaction yesterday was purely because you shocked me. I wasn't expecting it and initially I thought, no way, I mean, that metal would be on my body forever. And the thought of my hair gone –"

Gadget put his arms around her and pulled her closer.

"I'm sorry; I swear I'll _never_ ask you to do anything like that ever again! It would have meant a lot to me, but I understand it was too much."

"No," she told him, "you've made me think about something...it's something I should have considered a long time ago. _You're a cyborg. You're heavily modified, you'll outlive me_."

Gadget's eyes grew wider as he thought about her remark.

"Why are we talking about my lifespan, Bess? I'm looking forward to spending your whole life with you!"

"But I want more," she said quietly, "I want to live as long as you, Gadget. And if that means getting modifications, I'll do it. I realize it will cost a lot but –"

"Wait!" Gadget said, "You can't just make a decision like this overnight!"

"I'm a cybernetic surgeon; I know what the process is all about! And I _want_ to do this."

All thoughts of his fantasy coming true had now been replaced by concern for the woman he loved.

"What are you thinking of having done?"

Bess already knew the answer.

"I'll have some light internal mods that can be built on over time as my human body begins to age. I can also have a titanium heart and semi organic lungs, that will go a long way to halting aging and the chance of disease. And I can have some internal wiring to keep my nervous system boosted up. I can have the wiring run up my spine and into the brain."

She paused, avoiding his gaze as she summoned the courage to say the rest.

Bess slowly looked up again.

"Metal plating can cover it. _I'll have the same kind of mods as Cindi and they won't be cosmetic_. They will be genuine cybernetic implants for the purpose of extending my human life and maintaining my body as it is now, for a _very_ long time."

And she smiled as she looked into his eyes.

"That way, I get to be with you forever. And along the way, I'll look exactly the way you dream of."

Gadget still had his arms around her, but for brief time, couldn't move as he stared at her and all she had said slowly sank in.

Then he drew in a breath and tears blurred his eyes.

"You'd do all that for me?"

He reached up and ran his fingers through her hair, thinking how beautiful it was and how guilty he felt, yet at the same time he wanted to weep with gratitude to think that perhaps nothing was impossible. Until she had explained, he had not given any thought beyond here and now; it had not occurred to him that she would have taken the difference in their life spans into consideration.

The fact that she had done that told him all he needed to know:

She was the woman he wanted to spend forever with, even _without_ the modifications...

"You _really _want to do this?" he said as his voice choked with emotion.

Bess nodded.

"I'll speak to Brenda when I go into work. I'll explain why and tell her what I want done. And I won't let her talk me out of it."

She paused briefly, and then added:

"I have no problem having the implants. But having my hair taken away will be a lot to get used to. I want Brenda to do all my treatment; I couldn't go to anyone else."

"Thank you so much," Gadget said, and then he drew her close and wept all over again, this time out of gratitude because he was thankful the woman he loved had thought about the situation far deeper than he had, and was doing this not to please him, but for very valid reasons that would keep them together for many, many years to come...


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

_The day of the grand opening of the Waking Dreams facility had arrived._

The town was almost empty; the only signs of life began out on the highway, where tailbacks stretched for several miles as traffic crawled across the Riverton bridge as crowds flocked to the east side to try out the new attraction.

Bess had left a message that she would be in work later that day, and made a second trip over to the cybernetics center to talk to Brenda about her plans.

Bess had met with her the day before and Brenda had been shocked, and then listened as she had spelled out her plans.

Brenda had told her to go back to work, then go home and think, and _keep_ thinking very hard before she made a final decision.

But her parting words had been to remind her that she would _not_ be changing her mind, because she was thinking of the future...

Brenda had kept all she had said in her thoughts, even though Jax was on her mind and she had put off meeting with him that night because she couldn't decide the best way to handle the situation about his use of the suspicious chemicals..

With thoughts of both Jax and Bess on her mind, Brenda had hardly slept, partly because she was unsure if modifying a healthy woman to such a heavy extent was justified, and partly because she felt guilty for taking the sample from the vial belonging to Jax and asking her lab staff to analyze it.

_It had taken a long while to analyze._

Now Brenda sat in her office looking at her computer screen as she read the details of a complicated chemical cocktail – it was like nothing she had ever seen before.

Analysis had suggested it was used for temporarily boosting intelligence levels.

It was also stated that prolonged use of the spray in low doses could have harmful side effects, causing brain damage that would manifest as mental instability and a tendency towards criminal acts. This was just the least of the risks – at the other end of the scale, overdose could cause massive bleeding in the brain and most likely, death would follow.

_And Jax was using this stuff?_

At first, on reading the cocktail was also highly addictive, she had wondered if it was a simple case of drug misuse. Then she had thought about how he had created the dreaming machine and come to the conclusion that his genius was artificially enhanced. He would pay a heavy price for it one day if he didn't stop...

Her shock at the thought of the risk Jax was taking had pushed all else from her mind...

* * *

When Bess entered the room Brenda glanced up at her, said _Hi_ and then looked back at the screen.

Bess took a seat and checked her watch.

"I have to be at work over at the free hospital in an hour," she reminded her, "so please don't sit there and give me the silent treatment. I'm serious about what I said yesterday. I'm marrying Gadget. I want to be modified so I get to live as long as he does, it's not too much to ask and if I need to go elsewhere, I will – I only came to you first because I'd rather you did the procedure because you're my friend. But if that _is_ too much to ask –"

"What?" Brenda looked up from the screen, barely having heard a word that had just been said, as her thoughts were still on Jax.

"Are you listening to me?"

Brenda gave a sigh and turned off the screen.

"Yes, I heard you. But I just found out something rather worrying about Jax. I could be wrong, of course – but I think he might be boosting his intelligence to create his inventions by abusing a _very_ nasty cocktail of drugs. If that's the case, that's how he created the dreaming machine. And if he's _still_ using the stuff, he could be in danger."

For a brief moment thoughts of her reason for coming here were set aside.

"Are you going to the cops about it?"

Brenda shook her head.

"I can't do that because I could be wrong. He could have that vial in his possession for a number of reasons. It could even be an experimental sample that he had his pharmaceuticals people make up for some other reason – but it seems pretty clear to me. The only way forward is for me to confront him about it."

"I'm sorry to hear about that," Bess replied, "I hope you can talk some sense into him."

"Well, the vial contains a number of banned substances and also components of even more banned substances, so he has to stop handling the stuff no matter what he's doing with it." Brenda replied, and then she looked across the desk at Bess and turned her thoughts back to her visit.

"I know what you want to ask me."

"So will you carry out my procedures?" Bess asked.

Brenda nodded.

"Yes I'll do it for you, Bess. But as you want the titanium heart fitted and you decided you wanted the human heart donated for transplant, this will delay your treatment until we find a recipient for the heart. So I'll take some blood today and then you will have to wait – possibly months – before we find a match. Then you'll get the call and come in and have your heart removed and replaced with the titanium heart, we can fortify your lungs at the same time but then you have another wait while you completely recover from the procedure, before we continue and add the nervous system implants and add the metal plating. So the outward change to your appearance will come last at the end of the treatment. This is going to be a long process that will take just under a year. So that's enough time to change your mind of you have second thoughts. If you still want to go ahead by the time we're ready with the titanium heart, I'm happy to go ahead with it, because I'll know by then you've had enough time to think about it."

Bess smiled.

"Thank you," she replied.

Brenda got up from her seat.

"Come through to the lab and I'll take that blood sample." She replied, and Bess followed her from the room feeling determined to see this through, it was only the start of a long journey, but it was one she very much wanted to make...

* * *

Gadget parked the Gadget Mobile outside the little house where Dr Kramer lived and switched off the engine.

"Are we back to business as usual?" the car asked as he got out.

Gadget closed the door softly and smiled.

"Yes we are," he said warmly, and then he walked up the path towards the front door.

His thoughts were partly with Bess as he considered their plans – he was anxious at the thought of her going through with genuine cybernetic procedures, but happy at the same time for two reasons – she would live as long as him with cyborg modifications, and along the way look just as he had dreamed she would...

Then he rang the bell and the door was opened by Dr Kramer.

"Hello Inspector Gadget!" he said warmly, "Do come in."

Gadget stepped inside and Kramer closed the door.

"What can I do for you?"

Gadget caught a slight flicker of nervousness in the scientist's eyes, it always happened briefly every time they met, because Kramer would look at him and recall his role in Claw's plans so long ago...but Gadget always killed his fears with a warm smile to settle his unease, and it always worked.

"I just wanted to stop by and see how Robo Gadget's getting on."

Kramer's eyes showed another flash of unease.

"Oh...he's in the garden with Robo Brenda. They've been having quite a conversation. I'm sure he'll be pleased to see you. Come with me."

And Gadget followed him through the house, suddenly wondering if Cindi was here too – at the thought of seeing her again, he felt suddenly apprehensive as he recalled the encounter he couldn't forget. Then he thought of the sacrifice Bess was making, just for him – and guilt threatened to swallow him up and the feeling was pure pain.

But Gadget had no time to dwell on that as he was led into a small, colorful garden where Robo Gadget sat on a swing seat with his arm around the back of it, almost as if he was about to drape it around Robo Brenda's shoulder, but wasn't quite ready.

Robo Brenda was smiling and listening as he spoke to her and as they approached them he felt almost as if he might be interrupting a private moment.

"They get on ever so well," Kramer told him, and then he addressed Robo Gadget.

The android sat up straight and his head jerked sharply as he turned to look at Kramer.

"What?"

"Inspector Gadget is here to see you."

"Oh. Hi there Inspector," he said, and his dark stare seemed to cut through him, reminding Gadget of his water damaged circuits, caused by the fact that he had thrown his head into the river where it had lain undiscovered for many years. And he knew it; Robo Gadget knew _all_ about it, he could tell by the look he was fixing him with... _he remembered everything_.

Robo Gadget got up and stepped towards him.

"_Be nice,"_ Kramer reminded him, but Robo Gadget didn't even acknowledge his words.

"So," he said, "What have _you_ been doing for the last fifteen years, Inspector? I hear you've done a good job of keeping this town in order...you've got yourself a girlfriend too and you're living up in a big house by the beach...nice life for a police inspector."

Gadget was determined not to ruin his chances at breaking the ice by rising to the anger that was building in the android's eyes.

"The main reason I'm here," Gadget told him, "is because I wanted to say sorry for the way I deactivated you. But at the time I had no choice. You'd been programmed to destroy the whole of Riverton. I had to stop you."

Robo Gadget took in a sharp breath as his eyes darkened and he looked back at him with intense eyes that reflected hurt.

"_You threw me in the river! I was lost for fifteen years! That's not fair!"_

Gadget saw the depth of his anger and felt sure if Quimby had seen him in this kind of mood he would have labelled him as a potential threat right away. And that was something he wanted to avoid, because he understood why the android was angry, and wanted very much to clear that up quickly.

"We fought on that bridge like enemies," Gadget replied, "and it would have been a fight to the death if I hadn't stopped you. That's _not_ your fault. No one blames you; it's not your fault your programming was set to make you destructive. You had no choice in that matter – no more than I had a choice in the way I deactivated you. I'm sorry we were both placed in that difficult position. But it's a new start now and I'd like us to be friends."

Robo Gadget's head tilted slightly.

His eyes still seemed too fixed, too staring, too dark...

"_Friends?"_

Gadget nodded.

"That's right, friends."

Robo Brenda got up from the swing seat and twisted a fire red strand of hair around her finger.

"I think that's a good idea," she said softly, "You guys should be friends. I mean, Scolex isn't Claw now - he's changed. _Everyone's _changed. You need to change too, Robo Gadget."

He looked at her.

She smiled.

"Do it for me."

And Robo Gadget briefly smiled too, then turned back to Gadget.

"Okay," he said reluctantly, "You and me can be friends. But _only_ because I listen to Robo Brenda."

And then he smiled and those dark eyes that had seemed so menacing changed in a split second to eyes filled with joy.

"I _like_ her!" he said excitedly.

Robo Brenda smiled and turned away, then called to Cindi.

Gadget felt as if his titanium heart had just done the impossible and missed a beat as he recalled their encounter and his emotions swirled in a heavy mix of arousal and deepest guilt.

Cindi came into the garden, glanced at Gadget, smiled and then looked to Brenda.

"Are we ready to go?" she wondered.

"Yes, I think Gadget has some talking to do with Robo Gadget and it's best if we let them do it alone."

Robo Brenda smiled at Gadget, and then gave Kramer a little wave with manicured fingers.

"Later, Daddy!" she called sweetly, and then she picked up her purse and walked back through the house.

"I'll call you later," Cindi said to Kramer, and gave him a brief hug, pausing to kiss his cheek.

As she walked off to follow Robo Brenda, Kramer stood there looking stunned as he touched the place on his cheek where she had kissed him, then looked at his fingertips as if expecting to find a trace of something magical left behind.

"Wow..." he whispered..."she kissed me!"

Gadget smiled.

"I think she likes you," he remarked.

Then Robo Gadget spoke up again.

"So what do you want from me, Inspector? I'd say we're still very much alike but I can't help noticing you've got slightly older. I'll never age. You can live for a few hundred years but I'll still be around when they're recycling your burnt out parts."

And he leaned closer, snapping his large teeth together, and then he smiled.

"And even when you're dead and gone I'll _still_ have better teeth than you!"

Kramer gave a sigh of despair.

"Please don't be like this, Robo Gadget! I very much want you both to be friends. Inspector Gadget can help you."

The android looked at him sharply.

"How?"

Those dark eyes burned into Gadget as if he could see through him.

"I could help you get used to life again; you didn't have much of a chance the first time around. And like I said, none of what happened was your fault."

"And Claw's a good guy now?"

He sounded confused.

"I've tried to explain so many times," Kramer said.

"He is," Gadget told him, "he changed his life. He decided he wanted to be on the right side of the law. When I was sick, he even saved my life. He's a free man now and he works for Riverton PD. He married my niece Penny, they have a son, Sanford Junior. If you met him now you wouldn't see him as Claw – that's all in the past."

Robo Gadget fell silent for a moment, becoming lost in thoughts that stung of bitterness as he understood what Gadget had explained:

_None of it had been his fault..._

"Claw programmed me to be bad!" he said bitterly, "I _never_ want to see him again!"

"And you won't have to," Kramer said gently as he placed his hand on his shoulder, "I promise you never have to see Sanford Scolex again – unless you choose to. I'm sure if you did he would tell you how much he regrets his actions. He's very sorry for the wrong he did. Even Inspector Gadget has forgiven him – and me, too. You can forgive him, you just need to think about what that means, that you need to let go of the past."

Robo Gadget frowned and then looked slowly around the garden.

"Where did they go?"

"Who?" Kramer asked.

"The girls. I want Robo Brenda to come back."

"They just left."

"When?" Robo Gadget turned sharply to the Inspector.

"Is he making this up? Are you both messing with my programming?"

And Gadget saw the look of despair in Kramer's eyes: Robo Gadget was _definitely_ far more damaged than the scientist had legally declared. This was awkward; he didn't want to go back to Quimby with a negative report, he wanted to give the android a chance...

"No," Gadget said carefully, "You're just a little bit forgetful because you have water damage. Robo Brenda and Cindi left a few minutes ago. Don't you remember?"

Robo Gadget shook his head.

Then he looked back at Kramer.

"She's _got _to come back."

"Who?" Kramer asked again.

"Robo Brenda!" he exclaimed, "I _want _her!"

Kramer stared at him.

"You _want_ her? What does that mean?"

"_I want her to be all mine!"_ he said excitedly.

"Well you can't have her."

"Why not?" the android said in a sulky voice, "Why _not_, Kramer?"

"Because she's busy with her own life. If she wants to see you, she knows where you are. I'm sure she'll stop over again soon."

"_I want to go out."_

Kramer's eyes widened in alarm.

"No! I can't let you walk the streets of Riverton yet! You're not ready for that!"

Anger simmered in Robo Gadget's eyes and that look reminded him of the day Riverton burned. Gadget spoke up quickly, hoping to ease a difficult situation.

"Next week," he promised, "when I'm not busy, I'll call for you. I'll take you for a drive in the Gadget Mobile."

Robo Gadget's eyes lit up like an excited child.

"For real? In the talking car, the _real_ Gadget Mobile?"

Gadget smiled.

"If you're good," he promised him, "I'll take you out more often. So you have a think about that, and I'll see you again in a few days."

Robo Gadget smiled.

"Thanks, Gadget!" he said brightly.

Then Gadget glanced to Kramer.

"I'd better get going now; I have a lot to do. I'll call again soon."

"Thanks for stopping by," Kramer replied.

"I'll see myself out," Gadget said, and walked back through the house towards the front door, making a mental note that he would say in his report that Robo Gadget showed definite signs of remorse when talking about the wrong he had done in the past, it would be a positive start, it was true – and he could gloss over the rest. He didn't envy the task Dr Kramer had on his hands:

Getting Robo Gadget to adjust to a new life would be very difficult indeed, he had doubts that the android would ever be able to cope alone with his damaged circuits and the way it affected him, but he was leaving that out of his report, because he wanted to help him in every way he possibly could...

* * *

_The next few days passed uneventfully_.

Riverton remained a quiet, crime-free town, although far quieter than usual because of the opening of the new Waking Dreams facility. Gadget made a call to Kramer's house and promised to take Robo Gadget for that drive he was looking forward to at the end of the week. Kramer said he would tell him that, but cautiously added that he wasn't sure if Robo Gadget was ready to go out in a public setting just yet.

So Gadget had a rethink on his plan, and instead made another suggestion:

_That Kramer bring Robo Gadget along to the Mayor's dinner party at the weekend, being held in honor of Jax Wilberforce to celebrate the successful opening of the dreaming facility_...

At first, the scientist had been unsure, but Gadget had soon persuaded him, feeling sure that a positive atmosphere would bring out the best in the android.

Then Gadget thought no more about the plans he had just made, and went about his day, driving around a ghostly Riverton.

It seemed the residents were becoming very fond of the dreaming machine; every day the streets were almost empty...

Gadget spent his time talking with the Gadget Mobile, or having conversations with Sanford through his internal wire.

They even played with the virtual rockets out on the empty highway.

_And Quimby did not yell at them for it, because Quimby knew nothing about it, as he was not at work._

_He had booked a few days off, expressing a keen interest in spending more time at the dreaming facility..._

* * *

When the evening of the Mayor's party arrived, Gadget stood in the bedroom and checked his watch. He was ready to leave, but Bess was still in front of the mirror as she carefully pinned up her hair and then sprayed it, adding a sparkling comb. Then she took the comb out and have a sigh, before putting it back in on an angle.

"I just can't get my hair to go the way I want it tonight!" she complained.

Gadget thought about the future and was sorely tempted to mention that soon enough that wouldn't be a problem any more, as he imagined her skin smooth and bonded to gleaming metal – but he stayed silent, not wanting to remind her that she was still waiting for the phone call to say the process could start with the fitting of her titanium heart. He was nervous at the thought of the woman he loved having her heart replaced, but the heart and lung procedure had to come before everything else if Bess was going to get the cyborg body she wanted, and he wanted that for her too, because it would greatly increase the length of her human lifespan...

Suddenly he thought back to his own experience of having a robotic heart fitted and he felt a flicker of fear as he recalled the pain and shortness of breath as he struggled to recover.

Gadget turned away from Bess so she didn't glance in the mirror and catch the worried look in his eyes.

He wished he had never thought about it now – his own experience had been terrifying.

But perhaps that had been because his own surgery had come about because of the electromagnetic pulse weapon; Bess was not a victim of an attack or an accident – this was planned, surely it would not be as traumatic as anything he had been through...

He blinked away tears.

It was happening again; he was thinking of all that Bess was going to face – and purely on a voluntary level – and felt scared and upset and unsure all at once, part of him wanted to extend his arms across the room and grab her and shake her and tell her not to be so crazy. Yet at the same time, it excited him. And Bess was a cybernetic surgeon, she knew what to expect, she had opted for and planned each one of the procedures she intended to have, she knew what she was doing.

At least, he _hoped_ she did...

"Gadget?"

He looked back at her.

Bess got up and turned away from the mirror and smiled.

"How do I look?"

She was wearing that long white dress with the low back, the one that had inspired so many dreams. There was only one word he could use to describe it:

"_Beautiful,"_ he promised her.

* * *

They arrived at the Mayor's house just before eight pm and Gadget parked the car and they got out.

"Have fun, you two!" the Gadget Mobile said.

Bess glanced back at the car and smiled.

"I'm sure we will," she replied, and then she walked with Gadget up the steps that led to the open doors of the Mayor's palatial home.

As they went through to the large dining hall, Chief Quimby waved to him.

"Over here, Gadget!" he called out, and Gadget smiled, pausing to say _Hi_ to other guests as he and Bess made their way across the busy room.

"Evening, Gadget!" Taylor said as he took his seat at the table.

Emma gave him a nudge.

"Will you keep still, Taylor?"

And then she shook her head as she glanced to Gadget and Bess.

"He's always like this at parties...he gets so hyperactive!"

And Bess giggled as she lowered her voice.

"Just like a little kid!" she said, and Gadget smiled on hearing that.

Taylor was almost bouncing up and down on his seat.

"I _so_ love the dreaming facility!" he said enthusiastically, "I like to have dreams about being the leader of the cyborg people!_ What does everyone else dream about?_"

He had asked the question loudly and as guests had settled in their places for dinner, a hush went around the table along with a few red faces as people avoided his gaze.

"Maybe you shouldn't have asked," Emma whispered to him, "it's _private_."

"Why?" Taylor asked loudly, "What's so private about fun dreams? I don't get it..."

Then Mayor Wilson took her seat, and as Dr Kramer arrived, she beckoned to him.

"You can some and sit here next to me, Dr Kramer." The Mayor said warmly as her eyes sparkled in a way that made Kramer feel slightly uneasy.

"Oh no!" Taylor gasped as he turned to Emma in alarm, "I have to warn him – last time I sat next to her she squeezed my –"

"Taylor, will you keep your voice down!" Emma told him sharply.

His eyes were still filled with concern.

"Okay, I'll try and be discreet...

He waved frantically at Kramer, who had been briefly distracted as Robo Brenda and Cindi had joined the table.

"What, Taylor?" he asked.

Taylor's eyes were wide.

He pointed to the Mayor, who had briefly turned her head as she spoke to a passing guest.

"Watch out for your nuts!" he hissed.

The spiky haired scientist looked puzzled as he shook his head.

"What?"

"_Nuts!"_ Taylor whispered again.

Kramer glanced over his shoulder in time to see a heavily built woman in a dress that was far too tight sit down at the next table.

"Big butt?" he wondered, "Why would I need to watch out for –"

Taylor was shaking his head.

"No, I said..."

"I can't hear you, speak up!" Kramer told him.

"_YOUR NUTS! I'M ONLY THINKING OF YOUR NUTS, KRAMER –"_

Everyone at the table fell silent.

Bess giggled and Gadget looked down at the table as he tried not to laugh.

Taylor's face turned scarlet as Emma shook her head in despair.

"Shut up, please Taylor," she said quietly.

He turned to his wife and kept his voice down.

"But I was just warning him that she might –"

Emma was glaring now.

"Okay, I'll shut up," Taylor said quietly.

Then Sanford Scolex arrived. Gadget noticed he was leaning much lighter on his cane these days and he took his seat at the table easily, then Penny sat down too and said _Hi_ and began talking with Bess.

Chief Quimby leaned closer to Gadget.

"Wanna have a bet on it?" he said in a low voice.

"A bet on what?" Gadget asked him.

"Twenty bucks says Mayor Wilson makes a play for Sanford."

Gadget laughed as he shook his head.

"I give it ten seconds before he moves seats, you'll lose, Chief..."

The Mayor had turned to see the empty seat to the left of her had just been taken up – by the man formerly known as Claw.

Her usual lipstick glossed smile vanished at once.

"Oh, Mr Scolex... I believe your seat is over there, next to Chief Quimby."

Gadget looked away as he smiled.

"Told you, sir!"

"Sorry," Scolex said to the Mayor, and grabbed his cane and rose from his seat and made his way around the table to sit beside Quimby.

There were only two empty seats left – one beside Kramer and one beside the Mayor.

The seat beside Mayor Wilson was quickly filed by Jax, who sat down and smiled warmly, but kept his tinted glasses on.

"I feel very honored," he said, "it was sweet of you to do this for me to celebrate the success of the dreaming facility."

Mayor Wilson smiled as lust glittered in her eyes.

"I would very much like to get to know you better, Mr Wilberforce; you'll have to tell me all about how you designed those amazing machines of yours!"

But Jax frowned as he turned away, looking around the room and then back at the guests sat at the table.

"Where's Brenda Bradford? Is she invited?"

"Yes, she is," Mayor Wilson replied, "I don't believe she's here yet."

"I haven't seen her for days," Jax told her, "I've tried calling her but the line's always busy..."

Then he fell silent, saying no more as he wondered why she had cut him off with no reason after they had spent such a wonderful night together...it made no sense to him...

And then Robo Gadget entered the room. He walked in and looked around, saw Kramer and hurried over to the table.

"Hi!" he said warmly as his eyes lit up and he leaned over Robo Brenda and gave her a big hug, a strong hug that took her by surprise.

"Is there dancing later?" he asked as he let go.

"I guess so," she replied.

"I'm dancing with you!" he announced, and then he took the last empty seat, beside Dr Kramer.

"Could you just sit there and be quiet, Robo Gadget?" he asked, "this is a social gathering and you need to be polite."

The android nodded, then fell silent.

Penny was still talking to Bess.

"Me and Sanford will have to come over soon – I'll bring the baby."

Robo Gadget's head jerked upwards as he looked across the table.

"_What's a baby?"_

The other guests fell silent, watching as Penny struggled to explain to Robo Gadget.

"A very young, tiny human. I have a baby with my husband Sanford."

Robo Gadget looked over at him.

"And you're not Claw any more? Are you _sure_ about that?"

Sanford recalled all Penny had said to him when he had shared his plans regarding Riley, and Robo Gadget's remark bit deeply, far deeper than he cared to show.

"No, Robo Gadget. I'm _not_ Claw. He's gone. I work for Riverton PD now."

Robo Gadget smiled as his eyes lit up darkly.

"Is it part of a plan?"

"No, it's my job." Sanford replied, and then he forced a smile and raised his wine glass.

"Perhaps I should start drinking up early tonight..." And he laughed nervously, taking no time at all to finish the glass before pouring himself another.

Quimby dropped his voice lower as he leaned in to Gadget.

"Here we go, I give it two hours and it'll be _taxi for Scolex_ yet again..."

Robo Gadget still had his gaze fixed on Penny.

She looked back at him much in the way she would have looked at a strange dog, being unsure if the animal would bite. The key was not to show fear, and she kept her gaze firm as he looked at her thoughtfully.

"How do you get a baby?" he asked.

"Well," she said, "when two people love each other, sometimes they want to have a baby, so they have one, they become a family..."

Sanford got out his cell phone and accessed pictures and passed the phone over to Robo Gadget.

"That's our baby son, Sanford Junior," he told him.

Robo Gadget studied the picture of the baby in Sanford's arms.

Then he looked up sharply at Penny and his dark eyes glittered.

"I want to come over to your house. I want to hold your baby."

And Penny felt a chill run down her spine as once again, his eyes reminded her of the look of a dog that may or may not be dangerous...

He handed the phone back to Sanford.

"I'll come over when you're at work. I'm not sure about you, Sanford. You put some bad programming in me. Bad things happened to me because of you!"

"Robo Gadget..." Kramer said nervously, "now is _not_ the time to bring up the past..."

The android ignored Kramer, looked away from Sanford and smiled at Penny again.

"I'll come over and visit you," he told her, and that statement sounded like a promise...

Penny glanced at her Uncle Gadget, who nodded discreetly, letting her know there was nothing to worry about – he was keeping an eye on this situation.

"_I said, I'm coming over to see you."_

Penny looked back at Robo Gadget.

"Fine." She stated, and then looked away, avoiding his gaze.

Then the Mayor got up and gave a speech about the wonders Jax had done for business in Riverton, and praised him for the way he had renovated the east side.

Then dinner was served, and the evening went on, and Robo Gadget mentioned no more about his anger towards the man who used to be called Claw...

* * *

After dinner, Robo Gadget went up to Robo Brenda and asked her to dance with him.

Kramer watched as the two of them danced close together, and felt mildly surprised to see them share a lingering kiss. It came as a relief to know that Robo Gadget's behavior seemed to be settling down at last...

Bess and Gadget were sitting together as they talked with Mayor Wilson.

"I understand you will most likely need some time off soon, Inspector," she said, "I've heard from Dr Bradford that Bess is having some cybernetic work done and you will need some recovery time."

Beneath the table, Bess felt Gadget give her hand a squeeze.

He smiled happily as he replied to the Mayor.

"Yes, we decided together it would be for the best if Bess had some modifications."

And joy shone in his eyes as he added, "We're both really happy about this. Thanks for letting me have time off to help her with it."

"Yes, thank you for that," Bess added.

Gadget was still gripping her hand tightly as he turned and looked into her eyes.

"I'm so proud of you." He said softly and leaned closer and kissed her cheek.

"I don't think I've ever seen you look so happy!" Bess exclaimed.

"You're right about that!" he replied, "I'm thrilled you're going through with this."

"Well you won't have to worry," Bess promised him, "I know what I want and I'm not changing my mind."

Mayor Wilson smiled back at them.

"Its so good to see two people so in love and so determined to make such solid plans for the future. I'm so happy for you both..."

* * *

While the Mayor continued to talk to Bess and Gadget, Robo Brenda was on the dance floor with Robo Gadget.

As the music stopped and he crushed her tightly against him, she pushed him back a little.

"Be careful with me!" she said in shrill voice.

"But I love you, I want to hold you all the time!" he replied.

The look in Robo Brenda's eyes softened.

"And I love you too, honey. I did from the first moment I saw your head in the lab. Even before you was activated, before you got a new body!"

"So let me dance with you!"

"Okay," she replied, "but not so rough this time – I've got to be careful, I can't even do back flips any more. I'm pregnant, I'm having a baby."

Robo Gadget stared at her as his water damaged mind processed the information.

Then his face lit up in a huge smile as he turned to the other people in the crowded room.

"Hey!" he yelled, "Guess what, Robo Brenda's having a baby! _It's mine!_"

Robo Brenda's jaw dropped as she stared at him, along with all the other guests at the party.

"What? No, honey - you don't understand –"

"I do!" Robo Gadget replied, "Penny said if two people love each other, they get a baby. We love each other and now _we_ have a baby."

She was still staring at him.

"But we only _danced_ together...it doesn't work like that. You don't understand..."

Robo Gadget put his arms around her and held her in a crushing embrace again.

"I love you so much!" he said warmly, "I'm so _very_ happy for us!"

As he let her go, the look in Robo Brenda's eyes softened.

"Okay, Robo Gadget. You're right. We _do_ love each other. And if you want to be the baby's father I guess there's no reason why not..."

His eyes lit up intensely.

"You're mine!" he insisted, "You're mine_, all_ mine and so is the baby!"

And over at the table, Kramer looked at Gadget and shrugged.

"I guess that's worked out for the best."

"Until someone explains how she got pregnant. He seriously thinks he gave her a baby simply because he loves her and they _danced _together? You've got to explain about life, Kramer – he needs to know!"

"I can't do that, Gadget. His electronic thinking processes are too damaged. It's kinder to let him understand in his own way."

"I hope you're right about that," Gadget replied, and then Bess took him by the hand and led him over to the dance floor and they shared a slow dance, while Kramer was left alone to think about what Gadget had just said.

* * *

Kramer was about to get up and ask Cindi if she wanted to dance, but then Sanford Scolex sat down beside him and shot him a look that made him ever so slightly nervous, because it reminded him of the bad old days...

"I need your help," Sanford said in a low voice, "I know I wasn't exactly the best employer in the world years ago but this is about my son, my _son is dying_ and I need your help - and you can't tell another living soul."

Kramer's eyes filled with sadness.

"Your baby is sick?"

"No," he replied, "Not SJ. My other son. Riley Hammerstone is my son and I need you to create a program to change his attitude towards his cyborg body. I want you to force his mind to stop rejecting it so he can accept himself the way he is and get on with his life."

Kramer stared at him.

"But...it's illegal...Riley wants a human body, he's desperate for that, he can't bear to live as a cyborg!"

Sanford looked hard at him.

"It's life or death. I'm _begging _you!" he said in a low voice, "Please, do this, not for me but for Riley – just say you'll help me, that's all I want to hear. _His life depends on your decision_."

Kramer gave a weary sigh.

"His _life?_ Well...I...I shouldn't, but...okay," he said timidly, "If it's life or death, I'll do it."

Then fear flashed in his eyes as he thought about the implications of what he had just agreed to.

"Will I get in trouble for this?"

Sanford forced a smile and knocked back another glass of wine.

"No," he said as he patted him on the back, "We'll both get away with it. And thank you for saying yes. You're a good man."

And then he walked off to find Penny.

Kramer sat there alone while the rest of the guests had a good time and he worried in silence as he thought about what he had just agreed to:

Sanford had been right about him, he was a good man – he would do anything to help in a life or death situation...but as for Sanford, Kramer wasn't sure he was such a good guy after all...but he had agreed to get involved, and it seemed too late to back out now...


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The party was coming to an end.

As the guests began to leave, Chief Quimby cast a suspicious eye around the room.

_It was none of his business._

_He knew he had no right to pry like this._

_But he couldn't help but wonder who had fathered Robo Brenda's baby._

He was filled with burning curiosity as he wondered who had agreed to assist in an android pregnancy...it seemed likely it was someone she knew, who knew she needed help...

Sanford Scolex was leaning heavily on his cane. Not because his damaged spine was giving him trouble, but because he was drunk.

"I can put on my own jacket, Penny my love..."he declared, and reached for it, missed and tumbled forward, slamming his hand on the table as he steadied himself once more.

Then he laughed.

"Perhaps I'm slightly..." he gave a hiccup, "_ever so slightly_ _tipsy._.."

Penny helped him to put his jacket back on.

"You always get drunk at parties!" she said, sounding rather annoyed.

Quimby walked over to them and looked thoughtfully at Scolex...

_Could he have done it?_

He wouldn't put it past him to have sneaked off behind Penny's back to help out Robo Brenda, after all, he used to be Claw, what would a little bit of deceit mean to him?

"Planning on having any more kids, Sanford?" Quimby wondered.

Penny looked rather surprised.

Sanford laughed.

"Given my drunken state, Chief, I don't think _any_ baby making will occur tonight..."

Penny put her arm around him.

"Come on fat boy, let's get you home," she said, and led him out of the dining hall.

Quimby thought about it some more:

N_o, it couldn't be Scolex. He had a young son with Penny and he also had Riley to think of too...just because he was the one who had Robo Brenda built all those years ago, it didn't mean he would go the extra mile for her now, they barely exchanged a word when they met except for a polite hello and goodbye..._

He glanced over at Gadget, who was talking close and quietly to Bess and then tenderly touched her face as he drew her closer for a loving kiss.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought at once:

_It couldn't be Gadget. The Inspector's lower body had been destroyed by the explosion, most of it was robotic – certainly in the one area that needed to be intact to help Robo Brenda out... It was impossible because Gadget was half machine._

He was _not_ a suspect...

Then Quimby shook his head again, wondering why he was treating this matter like a criminal investigation.

Mrs Quimby had put on her coat and was ready to leave.

She touched his arm, and then caught the look in his eyes as he scanned the room. Years of marriage to the Chief of Police told her at once what he was up to.

"Will you _stop_ that!" she said, "Stop trying to work out who got her pregnant! Oh, you never change! A little bit of gossip and _Quimby's on the case!_ Is this the price we pay for living in a relatively small town all our lives? "

Quimby felt his face heat up.

"I can't help it, dear – I just want to know!"

"But it's none of your business!"

"I know that too..."

Quimby turned his head, watching as Cindi smiled and talked with Dr Kramer and then gave him her phone number. He said something and the Chief didn't catch it, but Cindi replied, _"I'd love to!", _and he guessed the two of them were planning to see a lot more of each other.

He wondered, could Dr Kramer have done it? After all, he had built her in the first place...

Then Robo Brenda went up to him and gave him a hug.

"See you later, Daddy!" she said sweetly, and her and Cindi left the party together.

Quimby dismissed that idea:

_Robo Brenda looked on him as a father instead of the guy who built her...No... It wasn't Kramer..._

"You must come over to Braydon Industries soon," Taylor was saying to Jax, who was ready to leave.

Then he added warmly, "My company are doing so much exciting research into new designs every day! I just _love_ knowing I'm helping cyborgs and androids, they're _my _people, I can't describe how much _love_ I hold for them in my own cybernetic heart!"

Quimby's eyes grew wider.

"_It's him!"_ he said, staring at Taylor Braydon.

Mrs Quimby gave a tug on his sleeve.

"Come on, Wilfred, it's time to go, quit poking your nose in other people's business!"

The Chief turned to his wife.

"Sorry, Sheila, this won't take a minute. I just have to question the suspect – I mean have a _quick word_ with Taylor..."

Mrs Quimby gave a weary sigh and turned away.

"I'll meet you back at the car, "she said, and headed for the exit.

Jax had just turned away and was walking out of the dining hall.

Quimby hurried over to Taylor, who turned to him and gave him a goofy smile.

"Great party!" he exclaimed, "I've had _so_ much fun!"

"And you work very hard too," Quimby remarked, "I don't suppose you've thought about slowing down a bit, starting a family..._with Emma_, I mean...not with anyone _else_, just Emma..."

Taylor's eyes clouded with confusion.

"What?"

"You don't have any kids yet, do you?"

That look of confusion deepened.

"Um...no...But you're _asking_ so..._I'll check_..."

Now it was Quimby's turn to feel confused..._he needed to check with his wife to confirm they had no kids?_

"Emma," Taylor called as his wife walked across the hall with both their coats, "We don't have any kids yet?"

She laughed.

"Not yet, Taylor. We put that on hold for a couple of years so I could help you with your business projects, remember?"

Taylor smiled.

"Oh yeah, that's right –"and he turned back to the Chief.

"We put that on hold –"

"I know, I heard what your wife said. But what I mean is, do you have any kids with anyone else? I mean, you must have had girlfriends before you met Emma, you're a rich, successful man..."

Quimby chuckled.

"You can tell me, I won't repeat it..."

Taylor frowned as he thought back.

"Well, I was a virgin when I got married."

Quimby's eyes widened.

"Really?"

Taylor smiled and nodded.

"I saved myself for the right girl."

Then he paused, and his eyes grew wider as a sudden thought struck him.

"At least, I _hope_ I was a virgin when I married her! There was this one time...oh no wait, it was good, but I was on my own!"

And he thought some more, while Quimby stared at him.

"And there was this other time...I was watching Cyborgbabe Station... I called the number on the screen and... _That_ was good too. Does that count?"

Quimby shook his head as words failed him.

"Are you sure?" Taylor asked, "Are you _positive_ over the phone doesn't count?"

"Yes, I'm positive, Taylor, you have to actually _be _with the girl to lose your virginity. As in, _together_ in the _same_ room in _real_ life, actually doing...never mind. Forget it."

Taylor blinked.

"What was the question?"

Quimby shook his head again.

"It doesn't matter. Good night Taylor," he said and then he walked away, leaving the room before Taylor led him around in another circle of confusion that left him feeling dizzy.

He was still no closer to working out who had fathered Robo Brenda's baby.

Then he pushed his curiosity far from his mind because he knew if he said one more word to Mrs Quimby about it when he got back to the car, he would be walking home for sure...

Emma handed Taylor his coat.

"What was Quimby talking about?" she asked him.

Taylor shrugged.

"I don't know," he replied, then he put his arm around his wife and they left the dining hall together.

* * *

Gadget walked away from the Mayor's house with Bess at his side.

As he turned and looked at her he smiled.

"We had a great time tonight. And I felt so proud when you talked about all the stuff you're planning to do with the cybernetic work. I keep looking at you and picturing it all finished and thinking how lovely you'll look..."

Gadget paused, laughing as he felt his sensors heating up.

"I'd better stop talking like that, I'm getting excited. If I think about it any more we won't make it home, I'll have you right here outside the Mayor's house on the back seat of the Gadget Mobile!"

Bess giggled.

"I'll bet Mayor Wilson would love that!"

"She'd probably film it from behind the curtain!" he replied, and they laughed again.

Then Gadget turned his head, distracted by the sound of raised voices.

"What the hell are you accusing me of?" Jax said angrily.

"_I just want the truth!"_ Brenda Bradford yelled back.

"I'd better check this out," Gadget said, and hurried over to the shady spot beneath a tree where Jax stood by his parked car.

* * *

Brenda Bradford stood facing him with anger in her eyes.

They both turned on seeing Gadget and he suddenly wondered if he should have kept out of this, it seemed like a private disagreement of some kind...

"Is everything okay?"

Jax nodded.

"Just a slight disagreement," he replied.

Brenda shook her head, wishing she had never showed up so late and waited for Jax, just so she could confront him and ask about the vial...

"I thought you couldn't make the party?" Gadget wondered.

"I couldn't, I was working," Brenda replied, "I just needed to talk to Jax about something. Alone, in private?"

Gadget nodded.

"Sorry," he said, "I'll leave you alone to sort thing out. Goodnight."

And he turned and walked back towards the Gadget Mobile, where Bess was waiting for him.

* * *

Now they were alone again, Brenda turned angrily to Jax.

"I had the substance analyzed, Jax! This is toxic, it could give you brain damage, it could kill you – what are you doing with it, _why_ do you even have it in your possession?"

"Are you really that naive?" he said bitterly, tearing off his tinted glasses and fixing her with a gaze that glittered darkly, "I'm a hugely successful man and I _didn't_ get there without some artificial assistance! What's wrong with that? I'm careful how much I use, I know what I'm doing – one hit of that stuff and I can make machines that others can only dream of!"

Brenda's voice dropped to a whisper.

"_But you're killing yourself."_

"No, I'm merely enhancing my own capabilities to further my work."

He looked at her and suddenly laughed as it hit him that she had no clue of his full potential.

"I'm not just the man who created the dreaming machine – I'm working on a _time machine_, a _real_ time machine, Brenda! It's not finished yet but I know I'll get there. Think how powerful I'll be then, I'll certainly corner a market no one _else_ is capable of touching!"

She stared at him.

"A time machine? You're making this thing on your own?"

"Not on my own. With a little help from the intellect booster I use. Now condemn me for creating something no one else can make, go on - tell me how _stupid _I am, Dr Bradford!"

As she looked at him, she realized too late the cocktail he had been feeding into his body was already poisoning him, she could tell by the look in his eyes...

"It's already making you sick, you just can't see it."

"And what do you want to do about it, wreck my life's work, turn me in, have me locked up?"

Tears filled her eyes and she felt as if her heart was breaking.

"No," she said quietly, "I love you, Jax. I'm a scientist too, I understand you needed to push yourself further - and you went too far! But you have to stop before it's too late. You'll die if you don't stop taking that stuff."

Jax breathed out slowly, casting aside his anger as he put his arms around her and looked into her eyes.

"I know you love me, Brenda. You stayed with me and made love with me and I _know_ what we shared was the real thing. That's _so_ precious. _You are precious to me._ Don't let this come between us, it doesn't have to. I've been using the chemical spray for several years. I'm still here, I'm still alive!"

"Years?" she said in disbelief, "Oh no, you _have_ to stop!"

"I can handle it."

He swept a lock of hair from her face and smiled.

"I _can _handle it," he repeated kindly, "so let's forget all about this and go home together, shall we?"

As she looked into his eyes and saw so much love and gentleness there, her heart ached as she nodded, blinking away tears as she hoped Jax was right when he said he could handle it, even though it sounded as if he was lying to himself, because _no one_ could handle that level of toxicity in the body forever...

"Of course I'll come home with you," she said tearfully, and Jax held her close, kissing her cheek as he spoke softly to her.

Then he took her by the hand and they got into his car, he started the engine and they drove away together.

* * *

When morning came, the day was bright and warm.

Penny smiled down at her sleeping son and then closed the door to the nursery and went into the next room.

Sanford was on his side, sleeping heavily and there was a definite trace of booze still hanging in the air. His suit was in a crumpled heap on the floor where he had left it the night before and she smiled as he watched him sleeping:

_He was socially clumsy and shy and drank at parties to cover it up. _

_When he woke up, he would have a hangover and a look in his eyes like a sad puppy as he apologized for being so wrecked..._

_Some bad guy he had turned out to be, last night he couldn't even get himself home and up to bed without help..._

"I love you, honey," she whispered fondly, leaning over him and stroking his dark hair.

Sanford smiled at her touch and slowly opened his eyes.

All trace of tenderness left her at once.

"How's your hangover, fat boy?" she said sharply.

He groaned and pulled the covers over his head.

"Just let me die..."

"Good thing you booked a day off work today," Penny replied.

He gave a sigh.

"I need more sleep...come back to bed..."

"I have to get SJ up and dressed. He's going to cry for his feed soon."

"What about _my_ needs?" Sanford whined.

"Go back to sleep," Penny replied, and left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

Then she heard a knock at the front door, and went down the stairs to answer it.

* * *

Penny opened the door with a smile on her face.

That smile soon vanished as she looked into the dark eyes of the caller.

_"Hi,"_ Robo Gadget said as he flashed a smile showing teeth slightly too big, "_I said I'd come over to see you. I hope you're going to let me in."_

Penny froze.

_Sanford was virtually passed out with a hangover and their son was sleeping in the nursery..._

"Well?" Robo Gadget asked, "Am I coming in or not?"

And Penny continued to stare at him. The thought flashed through her mind that she was trained in self defense and could handle a standard android if she had to...it would be difficult, but the thought of protecting her family was enough to fire her up, and she swore she felt adrenaline begin to pump as she looked back at Robo Gadget.

"Where's Kramer?"

"He's still sleeping. I think he was tired after the party last night. I just left him to it and went out."

"And I'm sure when he wakes up he'll be worried about you." Penny reminded him.

Robo Gadget smiled.

"You could call him and let him know I'm okay."

Then he stepped forward.

"I'm coming in?" he asked hopefully.

Penny opened the door wider and stepped back, watching cautiously as the android entered the house.

Penny took Robo Gadget through to the kitchen and invited him to sit at the table, then she sat down too and looked across the kitchen table at him, feeling slightly uneasy and wondering if it was just the way he came across or the fact that she recalled how he had been programmed for evil so long ago – the programming had been changed; if she was uneasy around him simply because he seemed a little odd, she was sure she was judging him to harshly: _He had water damage. It wasn't his fault..._

Robo Gadget smiled and his dark eyes lit up as he thought of what he wanted to say.

"I don't want to hate Sanford Scolex," he told her, "I am angry with him, I really am...he programmed me to be bad, I had no say..."

And Penny tensed as she saw that dark gleam was back in his eyes, but then it faded and he smiled as his mood switched again.

"But I don't _want_ to hate him, not really. And I _like_ you. You're bigger now, different...you grew up?"

Penny nodded.

"I certainly did, Robo Gadget," she said quietly.

He thought hard, trying to make sense of the words he needed to find in his damaged mind.

"You...you turned out nice grown up. Pretty!"

And he smiled again.

_"Thanks."_ Penny's voice was hushed as she tried to weigh him up.

"I think I can talk to you," he continued, "I like to talk to Kramer and I love to talk to Robo Brenda. I love her; I want to be with her always. She is mine."

"That's good," Penny replied, feeling a degree of her unease begin to lift.

Robo Gadget relaxed a little, leaning on the table as he looked at her.

"I have a question. Can I ask you?"

Penny nodded.

"Go ahead and ask. I may not have the answer, I don't know everything."

"I would ask Inspector Gadget if he was here, or Kramer. I meant to ask him last night at the party but I forgot. I forget things a lot."

He tapped his index finger to his temple.

"Water damage. I think that's why. That's what Kramer said."

"What did you want to know?" Penny asked, now feeling mildly relaxed and able to trust her instinct, that instinct was telling her Robo Gadget was _not_ dangerous after all – but she guessed he could be, if provoked, or if he mistakenly thought he was being provoked. Her Uncle had certainly been right when he said Robo Gadget was damaged; she could see it now she was alone with him and sharing a conversation.

Robo Gadget thought about her question, and then paused, trying to find the right worlds to explain.

"When I was with Robo Brenda, when I was dancing with her, when she told me she loved me...something happened. I don't know why."

"Happened?"

He nodded.

"It was nice but weird. I'm not sure if it _might_ be dangerous."

Penny looked at him intently. She was sitting across the table from an adult male android who spoke like he had just been activated with half his programming missing. In that sense, he had to learn so much. He knew nothing of life. Realizing that made her see him in a different light; Robo Gadget could be dangerous if provoked, she was certain of it – but only because he knew no different. The more she thought about it, the more she understood the truth of the matter – that _he_ was the one who was vulnerable, and needed to be protected more than feared.

"What do you think might be dangerous?" she wondered.

He looked at her with wide innocent eyes.

"I'll show you. I think it might be some kind of built in weapons system. That's what I'm afraid of. I don't want to cause any more trouble! I won't use them, I won't hurt anyone _ever_ again, I mean that!"

And he stood up.

Penny frowned.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'll show you. I think it might be some kind of laser weapon. I can't have weapons built in, I'm not allowed...because of before...so _this_ worries me."

Penny's eyes grew wider as Robo Gadget unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down, along with his underwear.

"What are they for?" he said, "They heat up. I can't stop it happening, especially for Robo Brenda!"

And he indicated to the metal plate in his groin area where four raised sensors were set.

Penny drew in a sharp breath, and then remembered a robotic or cyborg groin plate was nothing like human male anatomy, and Robo Gadget simply didn't understand...

"Cover yourself up," she said quickly, "that's a private part of your body. Even though you're a machine, you are not expected to show that part to anyone else – unless you need repairs or...or if you're having some special time with someone you love. It's not a _weapon_, Robo Gadget."

He had quickly dressed once more.

Then he sat down and looked across the table at her with a need to know burning in his eyes.

"Then what is it for?"

Penny shook her head.

"Kramer _really_ needs to have a talk with you about your new android body! Those are pleasure sensors. It's for when you want to be close – in private – with your girlfriend. Its okay if they heat up, it's supposed to do that."

Robo Gadget stared at her.

"It's not dangerous?"

Penny smiled at him kindly.

"No, it's something that helps you enjoy a relationship with another person."

Robo Gadget smiled and gratitude shone in his eyes.

"Thanks. I didn't know. Is it okay for me to have asked you about it?"

Penny laughed.

"Well if someone had walked in just now, they might have got the wrong idea. Even though it's just metal plating it's still a private part of your body. When you get those feelings, it's special; it's to share with your girlfriend."

"Do you think Robo Brenda would know what to do about it?" he wondered.

Penny couldn't help smiling as she thought of Robo Brenda, former blue movie actress...

"I'd say she _definitely _knows what to do with it!"

Robo Gadget's eyes lit up.

"I like it when you laugh. _You_ sort of make them heat up a little bit too –"

"Save it for Robo Brenda!" she said quickly, "it's for your girlfriend, _not_ your friends!"

Robo Gadget nodded.

"I get that," he told her, "thanks for explaining. Do all androids have the same kind of..."

He pointed downwards, remembering she had said it was private.

"Yes they do," Penny replied, "And so do some cyborgs. My Uncle Gadget's lower body is like yours because he's seventy percent cyborg – he has a lot of android technology. So you're not the only one. But don't talk to him about it, because it's private and people don't always like to talk about that kind of thing."

Robo Gadget thought about what she had just said.

"Because he used to be human?" he wondered, "He gets sad because he's a cyborg?"

"Not any more," Penny replied, "He's very happy with Bess. And he got used to his new body a long time ago."

Robo Gadget smiled again and as his dark eyes lit up, she realized she had quickly become used to him, and all her unease was gone completely.

"I should call Kramer; he might be worried about you... I don't have his number, I'll have to wait till nine am and call Braydon Industries."

"No need."

Robo Gadget took a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"I wrote down the number before I left home," he explained, "in case I got lost."

Penny smiled.

"Well done," she said kindly, "You did the right thing, Robo Gadget. I'll call him right now and you can tell him you're okay."

Then Penny got up and lifted the phone from the wall and called Kramer's number, pausing to smile again at Robo Gadget, who smiled back at her as she wondered how she ever could have felt so uneasy around him.

* * *

Brenda Bradford woke up warm in the arms of the man she loved.

Jax was already wide awake and he kissed her gently, pulling her close as he gave her a hug.

"I'm so very sorry I didn't tell you about the chemicals I use," he said softly, "if I had known you would be so upset, I swear I never would have made such a mistake."

As all trace of sleep left her, Brenda felt a pain in her heart all over again as she thought about the harm he was causing himself.

"I'll only ask you this once," she said, "I need to ask you this – is there anything _else_ I don't know? Because I can't take any more lies, Jax."

And Jax felt heavy with guilt as he recalled faking the medical records that led her to believe he was a man with the same kind of courage as Gadget...

But he smiled as he looked into her eyes and covered his tracks.

"_No,"_ he said quickly, _"You know everything now."_

Brenda looked into his eyes, searching for a sign of something, a flicker of doubt that reflected the same she felt in her heart, but saw no sign of any more deceit.

"No more secrets," she told him.

"You can trust me," he promised her, and then he pulled her close again, silencing her with a kiss before she could ask more questions.

Then a muffled ringing came from somewhere on the floor and she pulled away and gave a sigh.

"Leave it," Jax said, but Brenda sat up and reached over into the tangle of their clothing where it had been left in a heap the night before, and searched for her phone.

"I can't leave it, Jax. It could be work."

Jax rolled on his back as impatience reflected in his eyes.

Brenda took the call, kept it brief and then hung up again.

"Sorry but I have to go. This is urgent, it's about one of my patients..."

"With the kind of money I have you could give up work if you wanted to, have you thought about that?"

Brenda looked at him sharply.

"My work means too much to me, it's not about _money,_ Jax!"

And then she got up and headed for the bathroom, while Jax stayed in bed thinking about Brenda as he wondered how he could ever persuade her to give up her career and join him permanently at the dreaming facility – unlike most other people he knew, she wasn't motivated by money, and knowing that made the task _much_ harder to accomplish...

* * *

Gadget had barely had time to get out of the door that morning before his phone rang.

Kramer had sounded frantic with worry as he had told him he had woken up and found Robo Gadget missing.

Gadget had dashed to the Gadget Mobile as he quickly told him not to call anyone else, but to leave this to him – as he pictured Quimby sending out an all units message that a dangerous android was on the loose...

He had set off towards town and then his phone had rung again, and this time Kramer had sounded relieved, explaining that Robo Gadget had decided to go over to visit Sanford and Penny – and Penny had happily explained that the android was just fine.

Gadget had promised to go over there right away and bring him home, and as he reached Penny's house and parked outside he felt a flood of relief as she opened the front door and smiled.

Then he wondered why he had been so wary of Robo Gadget in the first place – because he seemed a little strange, because of the water damage? Or perhaps it was because he had once been programmed to cause such destruction?

_None of those thing mattered now; it was all in the past._

_And he felt bad for judging him based on a past the robot had no control over..._

"He's okay?" he asked as Penny stepped back from the front door and he went inside.

Penny nodded.

"He's just fine. I left him in the kitchen..." she kept her voice low,"Uncle Gadget, he's really vulnerable. Kramer needs to take better care of him. He doesn't know anything about the world at all, even about himself. I was scared when he just showed up like he did, but after I spoke to him for a while, I started to see him in a different light."

"Let's hope everyone else does too, when they get to know him." Gadget replied, "He deserves a second chance."

Robo Gadget got up from his seat when Gadget walked into the room.

He smiled and fixed him with dark, shiny eyes as he started to talk excitedly.

"Penny's been teaching me stuff!"

"That's _enough_," Penny reminded him, "Gadget's here to take you home. And you mustn't go out without telling Kramer – he was worried about you."

Robo Gadget nodded.

"I know that now. I won't do that again."

Gadget smiled.

"Come on," he said to him, "I'll give you a ride home in the Gadget Mobile."

Robo Gadget's eyes lit up on hearing those words.

"Thank you!" he glanced back at Penny.

"Bye," he said.

"Bye Robo Gadget," she said, smiling as she watched the android hurry out of the house and up the path as he followed Gadget back to the car like an excited child.

* * *

As they drove along the road, Robo Gadget looked about at the passing trees and fields.

"This car can go fast!" he exclaimed.

"I sure can, and you had better not touch _any_ of my controls!" warned the face on the screen.

"I won't!" Robo Gadget protested.

Then he turned his head sharply as he looked to Gadget.

"I'd like to be a cop. I'd like to help people. I think it might be fun."

And he smiled hopefully.

Gadget thought back to the days when the android had been programmed to cause such destruction. It seemed to make perfect sense that one day, perhaps he could turn his ability to good use – he saw no reason why not.

"I'll take you home and then I'll speak to Dr Kramer about it. If he says yes, I'll go over to the police station and fill out some paperwork to say you're going to be with me, for some training. But no guns, no weapons, okay?"

Robo Gadget's eyes lit up again.

"This the best thing that's ever happened!" he exclaimed, "I will be a hero, just like you!"

Gadget laughed.

"I don't know if I'm a hero. I know I used to work hard to keep this town in good order. But these days things are so quiet – there can't be any harm in it, I think it could open up the possibility of a job for you."

Robo Gadget was still smiling, no doubt dreaming of becoming Riverton's next crime fighter. With his water damage the most he could hope for would most likely be a job at the station filing paperwork, but it would be a start to something positive...

* * *

Dr Kramer was waiting anxiously by the window when the phone rang.

Fearing the worst, imagining some terrible catastrophe had occurred, he snatched up the phone and his voice trembled as he spoke.

"Oh no...What's gone wrong, what's he done now?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," replied Sanford Scolex, "But I just woke up after a nice long sleep. I was hungover. Penny said Robo Gadget stopped by, Gadget picked him up and he's on the way back with him now."

Kramer breathed a relieved sigh.

"I know!"

"That's not why I'm calling," Sanford said, lowering his voice, "I need you to meet me over at Braydon Industries at mid day. Come straight up to Taylor Braydon's office, I'm going to ask him to help us with the plan."

"Us?" Kramer said timidly, "This...this is _your_ plan!"

"And the sooner we get it in motion, the better. Now make sure you're there at noon!"

And then he hung up before Kramer had a chance to answer.

"_What have I got myself involved for?"_ the scientist said aloud, _"Why didn't I say no?"_

Then the doorbell rang and he dashed to answer it.

"Sorry I sneaked off," Robo Gadget said as he walked into the hallway. "I won't worry you again."

"You'd better not!" Kramer said sharply, "I was going out of my mind!"

Then he saw Inspector Gadget standing on the porch.

"Is everything okay?"

Gadget nodded.

"More than okay. If it's all right with you I'd like to start taking Robo Gadget to work with me. I'll fill out the paperwork and pick him up tomorrow, this could be good for him."

Kramer blinked as he looked at Gadget in surprise.

"Well, if you think it could be good for him I've no objections..."

Then he turned sharply as Robo Gadget went up the stairs.

"What are you up to now?"

"Calling my girlfriend," Robo Gadget replied, "I want to see Robo Brenda."

Kramer gave an exhausted sigh.

"It's like having a child a teenager _and_ a man to take care of all at the same time!"

Gadget laughed.

"I think he'll do okay," he told him, "You worry too much, Kramer."

And then he walked away, heading back to the Gadget Mobile.

Kramer checked his watch and the turned to the stairway.

"Robo Gadget," he called out, "Don't be on that phone for hours! And I have to go out at mid day. Can I trust you to stay here and behave yourself?"

There was a pause.

"Robo Brenda's coming over."

"Great," he replied, "You spend some time with her. I have some work to deal with."

"Okay," Robo Gadget called back.

And Kramer gave a sigh of despair as he thought about Sanford's plans.

Life had been turning out well, and now he was afraid everything was about to be wrecked by plans made once again by Sanford Scolex...

* * *

Inspector Gadget picked up the paperwork for Robo Gadget and filled it out and signed it – but the Chief was not on duty that day, so he folded up the paperwork and put it in the pocket of his trench coat.

A few inquiries soon led him to the discovery that Chief Quimby was taking a _lot_ of time off these days, mainly to spend some time over at the dreaming facility.

Gadget thought about the lure of that machine, of the world it had drawn him into, and the thought of the machine was almost enough to make him jump in the Gadget Mobile and drive over there at rocket speed to demand another session.

As he walked out of the police department, he wondered again about the safety of that machinery – _what if it was highly addictive? _More or less the whole of the town seemed to be hooked on it already, the streets had been empty for days, every morning there were tail backs stretching miles as people raced for the Riverton Bridge to get to the dreaming facility...

He made a call to Robo Gadget to tell him the paperwork was signed.

Then he said he would pick him up and take him to work tomorrow morning. Robo Gadget had sounded pleased, and then he had said he was with his girlfriend and had to go.

Gadget had smiled as he ended the call, feeling sure everything would work out well for the android.

_And then his phone rang again._

He recognized the number and felt warmth flood his heart as he took the call.

"Hi Bess –"

"Gadget, _listen _to me –"

His smile faded as concern filled his eyes. She sounded shaken up, almost scared...

"What's the matter, honey?"

"I just got a call from Brenda. They've found a recipient for my human heart. I'm going to have the titanium heart fitted today. I...I can't do this on my own...I mean, I'm ready but I didn't expect it to happen this fast..."

There was a squeal of rubber on tarmac and a whine of protest from the Gadget Mobile as Gadget turned the car sharply and headed off in the direction of the cybernetics center.

"Don't worry, Bess," he said, "I'm on my way...duty's over. I'm here for _you_ now."

And he sped on, forgetting all about his promise to Robo Gadget as concern for the woman he loved took over. He was determined to be there for her, and now all else had ceased to matter...


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Taylor Braydon sat at his desk in his office on the top floor of Braydon Industries and thought carefully after listening to all Sanford had said while Dr Kramer sat beside him looking nervous but remaining silent.

"So you want me to take a standard blank implant and put my thoughts into it? And you're going to implant this into Riley _without_ telling him about it?"

"I'm his father," Sanford replied, "What else can I do? Sit back and wait for him to undergo treatment that will kill him, just because he can't accept his cyborg body? I can't lose my son!"

Taylor eyed him with suspicion.

"This might be illegal, too. And it's not so long ago that you used to be a bad guy – you _kidnapped_ me and Emma, I'm not throwing the past in your face but it's on my mind, Sanford..."

And then he looked to Kramer.

"Are you doing this because you want to help or because he's making you do it?"

Kramer's eyes widened.

"Oh no, he's not forcing me! I'm nervous about it, because it _is _illegal. But Sanford is right about Riley's life depending on it – Riley's condition is psychological - he can't accept his cyborg body. That's why he wants to go for a human body transplant. But the chances of him surviving the procedure are slim. If he can come around to a different way of thinking about his cyborg body, he'll be cured. He can go on to live a normal life instead of cutting out his own wiring all the time."

Taylor's eyes widened.

"He cut out his own cybernetic wiring? How can someone hate their robotics so much?"

Taylor thought some more and then shook his head.

"I can't see a brother cyborg suffer like this! You were right to come to me; of course I'll help you!"

"_There's just one little problem..."_

As Kramer spoke up timidly, Sanford looked at him sharply.

"_Problem?_ I don't want to hear words like _problem_ at a time like this!"

And Kramer cringed.

"Please don't talk like that, you remind me of the old days..."

"What problem?" Taylor wondered.

"You have the implant technology here at Braydon Industries," Kramer explained, "and we can set up the implant to be programmed with your positive attitude towards cybernetics. I can do the programming easily. But I'm a robotics expert – I'm _not_ a cybernetic surgeon. I can't fit the implant."

"I've done some research and it doesn't have to go deep into the brain," Sanford replied, "it's a micro implant, it can be fed through to the brain via wiring pushed up through the back of his neck."

Kramer shook his head.

"I can't poke about inside a human brain, I'm not trained to do it. I could kill him!"

"Let's just get this implant sorted out first," Sanford said, "I'll worry about the rest later."

_"That's what I was afraid of,"_ Kramer muttered, and Scolex shot him a look that _definitely_ reminded him of the old days, so he decided to shut up.

Taylor stood up.

"I want you both to go up to the lab," he said, "I'll get the implant and meet you up there in ten minutes."

Then he smiled.

"And don't worry – your secret's safe with me – I'd do _anything _to help a brother cyborg!"

* * *

Gadget held on to her hand and noticed Bess was trembling.

"Its strange," she said, "I've carried out so many procedures on patients but now its happening to me, I'm scared. I don't know why because I should know better, I should understand there's nothing to be afraid of but I _am_ scared."

And as she lay back on the bed she looked up at him and Gadget saw fear in her eyes.

She was waiting to be taken to the operating room to have her human heart removed and replaced with titanium, she was having her healthy heart cut out of her body just so she could be a cyborg like he was, and this was just the start of her modifications...

_It wouldn't be easy for her._

Gadget looked into the eyes of the woman he loved as he sat at her bedside and gently took hold of her hand, fighting back tears as he felt consumed by guilt:

This had only come about because he had wanted her to be modified, to look like the cyborg female of his dreams, and now she was going much further than he had ever thought about, this was no longer about some cosmetic changes but about permanent physical changes to her whole body, just because she loved him enough to want to spend forever with him...

Gadget shook his head.

_"I can't let you do this."_

Bess looked into his eyes. Her face was pale and her hand still trembled in his grasp.

"I want to do this, Gadget! I'm doing it for us. I came to realize when you talked about the modifications that I needed to seriously think beyond cosmetic work. I want to live as long as you will and I won't do that if I'm not a cyborg!"

"Don't do this for me," he said as he voice began to choke and he thought about he pain she would suffer, "I've had this procedure – I know what the recovery is like. I don't want you to put yourself through it."

"_I'm doing it for us."_

Gadget took in a shaken breath and wondered if his fears for Bess were making him lose all sense of reason. He had one card to play to save her from this ordeal and he had just decided to play it, and to hell with the consequence...

_"Don't do anything for me. I'm not worth it. I've cheated on you."_

Bess stared at him.

"I cheated on you," he repeated, "so _don't_ do this for me, get mad at me, walk away from me, do what you like – but _don't_ go through with this, I don't want you to be in that level of pain!"

And Bess gave a sigh as she shook her head.

"Oh Gadget, do you seriously think I'd _believe _you would do a thing like that? I know you don't want me to hurt, honey – but making things up won't stop me going ahead with this. I'm determined to do it. Stop worrying."

And then she laughed.

"I should be scared, not you!"

And as he blinked back tears, Bess gave his hand a squeeze.

"I love you, Inspector Gadget," she said softly, and raised her head from the pillow and kissed him.

Then Brenda came into the room.

She noticed Gadget had tears in his eyes and as he continued to grip his girlfriend's hand tightly she spoke gently, knowing this was a very emotional time for both of them.

"I'm going to put you to sleep now and take you through to surgery," she told Bess, "Your own heart will be removed and replaced with the titanium heart and then we'll do the work to strengthen your lungs too. You won't be able to have the rest of the work done until you're over this procedure. It will take a while to recover because its your first cybernetic procedure and you have to be ready for that. You will recover faster than from regular surgery but all the same, it will be a reasonably long period of recovery."

Gadget was still holding her hand as he looked at Bess.

"And I'm off duty as of today," he reminded her, "I'll be here for you all the way."

Then Brenda introduced a sedative into her IV and as Bess began to close her eyes, Gadget felt a silent wave of terror wash over him as he knew this situation was now out of his hands – Bess was going through with the first of many procedures, and she had no intention of turning back. He had only wanted to her to look like the cyborg of his dreams – he had never guessed she would have become determined to actually become that cyborg on the _inside_, too...

He leaned over her and kissed her.

"I love you," he whispered.

But Bess gave no response as she lay there sleeping deeply.

"I'll have her taken through to surgery now," Brenda told him, "it's going to take a while, it's a very long procedure."

"And I'm waiting right here," Gadget replied, "I won't leave her."

"Don't worry," Brenda told him, "I'll take care of her."

"I know you will," he replied.

Then Brenda summoned staff to the room and Bess was moved out.

Gadget walked alone into the corridor, stood there for a moment and then went over to a pay phone to leave a message for the Chief, to tell him that from today he was definitely off duty and would be for quite a while, because Bess would need him to take care of her for several weeks, possibly longer...

* * *

Over at Braydon Industries, Taylor sat at a workbench in the mint green lab while the activated implant warmed up and the wire that trailed from it was fixed to his temple.

"What do I do?" he wondered.

Kramer carefully lifted the small implant that was thinner than a matchstick and watched as the core of it began to glow.

"It's ready," Kramer told him, "You just have to feed it with positive thoughts. When we're done I'll hook it up to the computer and see what its absorbed and write it in as a permanent program."

Sanford stood back watching in amazement.

"I never would have thought such a tiny piece of equipment could work like that!"

"It's just technology," Kramer replied, "that's why I'm proud to work for Taylor – his people make amazing breakthroughs every day."

Sanford's smile faded.

"You wasn't proud to work for me?"

"_I'm busy," _Kramer replied.

As the implant glowed brighter, Taylor looked puzzled.

"Um...hi little cyborg implant. I have to talk to you about –"

"No!" Kramer told him, "You can't talk to it, Taylor! Just put your thoughts into it."

Taylor looked puzzled.

"I don't get it."

"Just think about cyborg people and what you like about them."

Taylor smiled and his eyes lit up.

"I _love_ man metal!" he exclaimed, "It's _so_ cool!"

And Sanford shook his head.

"_This had better not turn my boy into an idiot!"_

Kramer ignored Sanford's remark.

"That's good, Taylor. I'll help, I'll ask you some questions and I want you to think about the answers and tell me how you feel."

"Okay," Taylor replied, "I like this game, it's fun!"

"It's _not_ a game!" Sanford said sharply, and this time both Taylor and Kramer ignored him.

"I want you to think about what you like about being a cyborg." Kramer told him.

Taylor smiled a goofy smile.

"Man metal is _so_ beautiful!" he exclaimed, "Everybody loves it because it's so shiny and so strong, and _so_ sexy! It's a girl magnet!"

Sanford gave a heavy sigh.

_"And I had such high hopes for Riley - he's going to turn into another Taylor at this rate!"_

Kramer glanced at him.

"Shut up Sanford - we're programming!"

His mouth briefly dropped open as he stared at the scientist.

"Shut up? "

"_Yes, please do." _

Kramer turned his attention back to Taylor.

"And cyborgs need to be protected, to be respected too – they are people with very special alterations to their bodies."

"Oh yes!" Taylor said excitedly, "They are _my _people! I love them!"

"And you love your own..._man metal?_"

"Of course I do!" Taylor told him, "It's the best thing that ever happened to me – _sometimes I stand naked in front of the mirror and kiss my own metal plating...at least, in the places where I can reach –_"

"That's enough!" Kramer disconnected him sharply from the implant.

Taylor looked disappointed.

"What did you do that for? I'd only just got started."

"And you've said quite enough. I'll take this implant and hook it up to the computer and program in everything positive."

Then he turned back to Scolex.

"Then you'll have your implant. But I don't know who can fix it in for you – Brenda won't do it, she's already said Riley should go for the human body transplant when the technology becomes available. She wouldn't do anything against his will anyway."

"She won't have to," Sanford replied, "I've got a few ideas."

"_Oh no..."_ Kramer said nervously.

"Just program the implant, Kramer," Sanford told him, "I'll worry about the rest."

"Okay, I'll do that," Kramer replied, and took the implant into his office and shut the door.

Taylor turned to Sanford and looked at him intently.

"I'm only doing this to help a brother cyborg," he reminded him, "but I can't help with a cybernetic surgeon. Don't even _think_ about using my free hospital, I could get closed down."

Sanford smiled.

"I wouldn't dream of asking for such a favor," he assured him, "Don't worry about how it's going to be done – like I said, I've got a plan."

And then he went into the office to join Kramer as he watched him program the implant.

_"What plan?"_ Taylor wondered, then he shrugged and decided it was all way too complicated to think deeply about, and he left the lab and made his way back to his office, to get on with his day and leave the scheming to Sanford Scolex, because when it came to plots and schemes, he felt pretty sure the man formerly known as Claw had to know what he was doing, and certainly didn't need any more help with it...

* * *

As shadows fell outside the window, Gadget turned back to the brightly-lit corridor and spoke into his cell phone.

"No, it's okay...she's doing fine. There's no need to come over, Penny. I'll tell her you called...yes, she's fine, she came through it with no complications. Give SJ a hug from his Uncle Gadget. And say Hi to Sanford. I'll speak soon."

Then Gadget ended the call and walked back into the room where Bess was recovering from surgery.

She was still unconscious after many hours of sedation, and he sat down next to her bed and gently ran his hand over her hair as she breathed on oxygen.

"I never meant for you to put yourself through anything like this," he said softly, "but you've done it now, and it's all okay..."

Then he thought about the rest of the treatments she had planned and shook his head, pushing away those thoughts before they killed his dream of seeing her so modified. It was only about cosmetic work, that was how it had started – seeing her like _this_ had not been part of the plan, at least, not for him. But Bess was determined to go through it and now she had a titanium heart and her lungs had been altered too. When she was over this procedure, she would have the rest of the surgery. He knew she wouldn't have second thoughts because she wanted to be a cyborg like he was, so she could live as long as he would...

"I'm really sorry I ever asked you to change anything," he said softly, "I didn't want you to suffer."

Bess slowly opened her eyes.

She tried to take in a deep breath and struggled as panic filled her eyes.

Gadget gripped her hand tighter.

"No, _don't_ take a deep breath," he said gently, "breathe nice and slow, okay? I know what I'm talking about, I've been there!"

Bess briefly closed her eyes as she slowed her breathing and pain registered on her face.

"Gadget..." she said weakly, "Help me..."

He blinked back tears and managed to smile.

"Brenda did a great job, honey. Your new heart's fine and your lungs are healing well. And you have a tiny strip of metal down the center of your chest that covers the scar. It's nicer metal work than I ever had!"

Bess relaxed as she listened to the sound of his voice and closed her eyes again.

Gadget gently stroked her hair as he leaned over her.

"Well, I say its nicer than mine...but I _am_ the prototype, that's why I'm such a basic old cyborg...not beautiful like you."

And he saw a flicker of a smile play about her lips, and then Bess fell asleep once more.

"That's better," he said softly, "You sleep, honey. Sleep as much as you can, the pain can't touch you while you rest."

"_Gadget?"_

He turned to the doorway on hearing Brenda say his name.

"She's going to be okay," she reminded him, "I know Bess is very sore and hurting now, but in a few days she will be so much better."

Then she saw the look of pain in Gadget's eyes and she put her arm around him and led him out of the room, closing the door behind her.

_"Please don't do this."_

Gadget blinked away tears.

"Do what?"

"Don't feel bad about her decision. I'm not stupid, I've reached a conclusion– I _know_ this started out as some kind of cyborg mods fetish between you both – but she chose to take it further. I know you never would have manipulated her towards this decision. I know this was all Bess doing what she wanted to do. And along the way you both get what you want. Even I can see that, so please don't cry over this. It makes me so sad to see you in tears. When she starts feeling better, she will be so happy to know that she's gone through with it and everything's turned out fine. Don't fall apart on her, Gadget. No one fell apart on you, did we?"

That remark surprised him.

_"It's not like I planned for any of my procedures, I had no choice in the matter."_

Pain still reflected in his eyes and this time it was deeper, and Brenda felt it too as she recalled the day she had announced John Brown would be the test subject for the Gadget Project...

"And your procedures were life saving. You know that."

Gadget forced a smile, hiding old wounds that had unexpectedly opened up.

"Sure I do, Brenda. And now, like you just said, me and my girlfriend share our liking for certain modifications and no, I did _not _expect her to take things this far. But I'm dealing with it. And if I cry because the woman I love is in pain, I think that's my business, not yours."

Brenda nodded.

"Okay, Gadget. I just wanted you to know I'm here if you need to talk."

"I'll be fine," Gadget replied, "I can handle this. It hurts to see her in pain, but I can handle it. I know it's what she wants and she knows what to expect, she's seen me go through it."

Brenda was still looking at him. She was sure Gadget wanted to cry, but was using every ounce of his strength to hold it back.

"I love her so much," Gadget said quietly, "when we talked about cybernetic mods it was all about the cosmetic side, not about _this_. Now I know how much she wants to be with me, she wants to live as long as I do so much that she's willing to go through the same kind of pain I've been through. _I'll love that amazing woman forever_."

"I know you will," Brenda replied, "you're both so lucky to have found each other."

He caught a trace of sadness in her eyes and wondered if she was thinking back to the days when they had been a couple, long before Bess had come along, in the early days when he was still adjusting to life as a cyborg.

Then he thought maybe he ought to apologize for telling her to mind her own business – she was being caring, she was only trying to help...

But Brenda simply said she would be back to check on Bess in a little while, and then turned and walked away.

Once again Gadget was alone with his thoughts and those thoughts turned a little too far to the past as he wondered how life would have turned out if the explosion had never happened – he was sure if he had never become a cyborg, Bess never would have followed him down the same path...

Then he cancelled that thought:

_What was the point in regret for all that could not be changed?_

_If he had never been caught in the explosion, he would not have become the man he was today._

_Riverton would not have had Inspector Gadget, their cyborg crime fighter._

_And he never would have met Bess..._

Gadget pushed thoughts of regret far from his mind, deciding there was little point in wondering what might have been – because the past couldn't be changed, that would never be possible - _unless some day, someone invented a time machine..._

Then he went back into the room quietly and sat next to her bed while Bess slept on.

* * *

The next few days passed quietly for Sanford Scolex.

With Gadget off duty, he had no one to talk to via the internal wire.

Day after day, Riverton remained quiet and peaceful, save the odd dispute on the highway as drivers grew impatient to cross the bridge to get to the dreaming facility, but a few heated arguments that had led to punch-ups were easy for Riverton PD to deal with.

_Every day the map of the town stayed more or less quiet. _

Sanford began making calls home to Penny because he had nothing else to do, and for a while it helped to pass the time – until she reminded him that Quimby wouldn't be too happy when he found out he had been spending all his time calling home when he was supposed to be working. But Sanford hadn't been too concerned; Quimby had been taking a lot of time off lately – mainly to go over to the dreaming facility.

And then he picked up on a robbery happening down town. He sent cars over to deal with it, and while that was happening, he was asked to track a stolen vehicle, and then reports came in of break-ins in the local area, and he sent more cops out to deal with it.

He wondered if the sudden rise in crime was because Inspector Gadget was not working – when Gadget was on duty, the town stayed crime free...

_But Sanford thought no more about it as his thoughts turned to his son Riley, and he began making plans for his own criminal act._

In many ways, he felt guilty for the fact that he was choosing to break the law.

He had made a decision never to commit another crime as long as he lived, but he had not taken into account the fact that his son's life would one day depend upon him breaking that promise he had made to himself, back in the days before he had known he was a father.

_Sanford still felt that guilt weigh heavy as he drove in silence towards the cybernetics center._

"We're taking a big risk," Kramer said nervously.

Finally Sanford broke his silence as he shot him an icy look.

"I didn't force you to get in the car. You could have stayed at home with Robo Gadget and listened while he bumped and thumped about in his bedroom with Robo Brenda!"

Kramer shook his head, regretting the fact that he had mentioned on getting in the car, that the two of them were always together lately, and always fooling around upstairs...

"He's an adult, he can do what he wants to do – and they're falling in love!"

Sanford kept his eyes on the road as he spoke again.

"And your androids will soon be off together with lives of their own, Kramer. Gadget told me when he goes back on duty he's planning to train Robo Gadget, so he's even going to have a job. You won't have to worry about him. You worry too much. Like now, you're worrying too much about my plan. I'll get away with it; I _know_ what I'm doing."

"But you always used to think like that, and look what happened in the old days!"

Sanford turned back to Kramer and glared at him.

"_My days as Claw are in the past! This is for Riley!"_

As Sanford raised his voice, Kramer flinched, reminded of long ago when Scolex had called himself Claw and become so feared by all who knew him. But then he also remembered the past was gone and now Scolex was a changed man – at least, trying to be – not an easy task when his son's life was at stake like this...

"I don't worry too much!" Kramer told him, "I've got good reason to worry about Robo Gadget! He's very vulnerable!"

"So maybe you should explain a few facts to him, "Sanford replied as he turned his attention back to the road, "Maybe you could start by telling him where babies come from. He's so naive he actually thinks he got Robo Brenda pregnant simply because he _loves_ her? How is he going to feel when he finds out the truth?"

"He's got water damage, he can't understand facts in the way we can. And he loves her and she loves him, so why should I get in the way of that?"

Sanford kept his gaze fixed on the road as they headed on to the highway that would lead to the cybernetics center.

"Because it's only fair. I know you think of him as a son, I can understand that, like you said, he's vulnerable. But I don't know how you can see Robo Brenda as a daughter, Kramer – you built her for _me_, remember? I asked for a plaything and you built her. Don't tell me you don't think she's attractive!"

"I don't think of Robo Brenda as a daughter!" Kramer replied, "I could never think of her that way – she's beautiful, she's perfect... at the time I built her I could have fallen in love with her myself!"

That remark surprised Sanford.

"But she calls you Daddy."

"It's just her way of being affectionate because I designed her. I wish she wouldn't do that, I've told her not to do it so many times."

"We're almost there," Sanford remarked as they turned a corner, "I want you to wait here in the car – I arranged with Brenda Bradford to take Riley home with me for twenty four hours. She's used to me visiting him and at the time I asked her, she was distracted worrying about Bess and her new heart, so she just signed the paperwork and agreed. So there's no problem getting him out of there. We're taking him back to my place, Penny always goes to see Emma Braydon on her day off, and takes SJ with her - so no one else will be home. I picked up the scanner and the rest of the equipment last week, it's in the spare room and I've kept the door locked. Penny never goes in there any way, so she won't suspect a thing..."

And Kramer said nothing in reply until Sanford drove up to the cybernetics center and parked the car outside.

"I understand you're doing this for Riley, you'd do anything for him."

Kramer had spoken quietly.

"He's my child, I'd risk my life for him," he replied, "and if this goes wrong, I'll take the blame - I won't let you get into trouble, Kramer. I'm not the bad guy I used to be, I'm just trying to save my son."

Kramer fell silent for a moment, and then he turned and looked at Sanford.

"Maybe I _do_ worry too much," he replied, "but like you, I have reasons for the way I feel."

Sanford looked back at him, wondering why the scientist seemed so tearful all of a sudden.

"I _really_ wish she wouldn't call me Daddy," he said as his voice choked up, "because there was a time when she was first built that I really could have fallen in love with her. And especially now, I _never_ want her to call me that again, because I'm not... _because she doesn't know it was me, that I just wanted to help her get what she desperately wanted...of course I want Robo Gadget to believe that baby's his – I want them both to be happy. I just don't want to see her holding my child and calling me Daddy and then walking away..._"

And Kramer stifled a sob.

"I didn't know I'd feel this way, it's _not_ Robo Brenda, I'm not in love with her...I just want to love that baby because I'm its daddy..."

Sanford stared at him.

"_You_ were her donor?"

Kramer nodded.

"And she doesn't know?"

"She must never know," he told him, "Especially not now, not when Robo Gadget's got his heart set on being that child's father. I couldn't destroy his dreams like that!"

Sanford took in a slow breath.

"And I thought _my_ plans were complicated!" he exclaimed.

Kramer wiped his eyes and managed to regain his composure.

"I'm seeing her best friend Cindi. Well, kind of seeing her. I know she likes me - and I like her – but since I found out Robo Brenda was pregnant, all I keep thinking about is that baby will never know, and I wish I'd never done it in the first place because I didn't know I'd feel this way. If I start seeing Cindi I can't even tell her about it – I don't even know why I'm telling you!"

"Well keep your mouth shut and don't tell anyone else!" Sanford replied, "I know Taylor's your best friend but he's not very smart, is he? Guys like him say too much at the wrong time, without thinking. Best keep it between us. Now I have to go and fetch Riley. I'll be back soon."

Kramer nodded and fell silent once more as Sanford got out of the car and walked towards the entrance to the cybernetics center, determined to carry out his plan.

* * *

When Brenda Bradford saw Sanford Scolex walking towards Riley's room, she suddenly recalled she had given him permission to take Riley home for a day. Then as she hurried to catch up with him she wondered why she had ever agreed to it so quickly – he was still unstable, not so unstable that she didn't want to let him out for a short while, but it hadn't been long since he had self harmed, and she wanted Scolex to remember that.

_"Wait..."_

Sanford stopped walking and turned around, leaning on his cane.

"Brenda?"

As she caught the slightly nervous look in his eyes, her expression softened.

_"I know what you're up to,"_ she told him.

Sanford's eyes showed a brief flash of panic.

"What?" he stammered.

Brenda smiled.

"And I _do_ agree with you. I think it could do no harm for you to tell him the truth."

_"The truth?"_ Sanford's mind was spinning as he looked back at Brenda.

"You're planning to tell him he's your son?"

He breathed a relieved sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair and laughed nervously.

"Of course, what _else_ would I be planning? I'm glad you agree the time is right."

"Just remember he doesn't feel very confident leaving here. He feels safer where he can call for help if he needs it. If you think he's showing signs of instability, no matter how small it may be, bring him back here – or call me and I'll come and pick him up."

"Yes, of course..."

Brenda nodded, and then turned away.

As he watched her walk back towards her office, he drew in a shaken breath and then wondered why he had worried so much – she didn't have a clue what he was planning to do, no one did...

* * *

As Sanford reached Riley's door, it opened.

"Are you sure I should be doing this?" Riley asked him, and Sanford looked at his son, felt an ache in his heart for all the years he had missed and then he smiled. He felt like weeping, he felt like breaking down and sobbing as he looked at Riley, now grown up and with his life shattered because he hated his machine body. But Riley looked outwardly human with the artificial skin and he was sure once the implant was in place, it would be the end of his troubles – _assuming it all went according to plan..._

"Are you ready to go?" Sanford asked him.

"Yes I am – but are you sure I should be doing this?"

Sanford leaned heavier on his cane as he shut the door to Riley's room and then briefly put his hand on his shoulder, steering him towards the corridor, "Of course I'm sure! Brenda was fine about it. And it's about time you got out of this place for a while!"

"I might need to come back. I might change my mind," Riley told him as they walked down the corridor, "I don't always trust myself. I get these thoughts and I can't always make them go away."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Sanford replied, and then he walked out of the building and led his son over to his parked car.

When Riley saw Kramer sitting in the passenger seat, he stared, wondering why he was there – and recalled the days when the scientist had worked for him, creating the artificial cell regenerator. He knew he had not treated him well, but that had been back in the days when he had been out of control.

"Hi Kramer," he said cautiously, "What are you doing here?"

Sanford opened the door.

"He's just coming over to pick up some paperwork...long story. Get in the car, Riley."

And Riley got in, missing the impatient tone of Sanford's voice.

The door slammed shut and then Sanford got in the drivers seat and closed his own door, putting all doors on auto lock.

As the locks clicked shut, Riley laughed.

"Scared I'm going to jump out on the way? I'm not _that _crazy, Sanford..."

"Of course you're not," he replied, and started up the engine and then drove away from the cybernetics center.

* * *

When they arrived at their destination, Sanford parked the car in the driveway and turned back to Riley and smiled.

"I hope you enjoy your stay here," he said warmly, "And I'd like you to think about the possibility of maybe coming to stay here permanently when you're well enough to be released."

"Thanks," Riley replied, as he looked back at Scolex and felt surprised at his generous offer.

There had been a time when the two of them had been enemies – back in the days when he had called himself Claw. But those days seemed like a lifetime away because so much had changed...

Sanford and Kramer got out of the car.

Riley got out too, noticing Kramer seemed a little nervous – but when he thought back to the old days, Kramer had _always_ been a jumpy kind of guy, so he thought no more about it.

"Let's go inside," Sanford said, and he unlocked the door.

Riley followed him into the house, noticing the pictures on the wall:

Sanford and Penny on their wedding day, pictures of their son SJ... it seemed Scolex had changed completely since his Claw days...

Then Sanford headed for the stairs and Kramer went with him, still looking nervous.

"Come upstairs, Riley," Sanford said, "I've got something important to show you, it's a big surprise."

"For me? What is it?" he asked him.

Sanford smiled even though he felt like nervousness was ripping his guts to shreds.

"Trust me, you'll like it." he promised, and then he leaned on his cane and made his way up the stairs.

When they reached the top, Sanford led the way down to the end of the hallway and then he unlocked the door to the spare bedroom.

"I want you to shut your eyes," he told him.

Riley looked to Sanford and then Kramer and laughed.

"What for?"

"Because it's a really big surprise, it took a lot of planning and... well, all I can say is, I want you to think of it as a gift, to make up for all the bad times."

Riley spotted something in Sanford's eyes that he couldn't define, as if he was filled with intense emotion all of a sudden.

"Forget the past; things have changed for both of us."

"I know," Sanford replied, "but this would mean a lot to me – you'll love it. Believe me when I say, you'll never look back after this moment..."

Riley shrugged.

"Okay, Sanford...based on the fact that you're a changed man and you and me are good friends now...I'll close my eyes."

And Riley shut his eyes and kept them shut.

Sanford put his arm around his shoulder and led him into the spare room.

Kramer felt a flicker of panic as he saw the bed covered with towels to soak up the blood and sterilized surgical equipment laid out on a table, along with a small hand held scanning device.

"You'd better not look yet!" Sanford said nervously.

Riley still had his eyes closed.

"I'll just wait for it...what ever _it _is," Riley replied, and he laughed.

Then as he waited, he got no reply.

"Sanford? Can I open my eyes yet?"

"Not yet, son," he replied, and Riley frowned, feeling a little confused.

"Did you just call me _son?_"

He had no chance to ask any more questions as Sanford stepped behind him, wrapping an arm around him while he smothered his nose and mouth with a cloth soaked in chloroform.

Riley tensed, briefly struggled, and then fell heavily on to the bed.

Sanford grabbed his legs and laid him face down on the bed, turning his head slightly as he exposed the back of Riley's neck.

Kramer stood there watching nervously and Sanford looked at him sharply.

_"Get on with it and help me!"_

"Help you?" stammered the scientist, "Help you to do what?"

"To fit this implant," Sanford replied, "I need you to hold the scanner so I can see where the wires going."

Kramer's eyes grew wide with alarm.

"Who is fitting this implant?"

_"I am,"_ Sanford replied, _"Now shut up and help, or get out and leave me to it, he won't be unconscious for long!"_

And Kramer looked back at him fearfully, as he wondered just how far Sanford had really come since the days when he had been known as Claw. Neither of them knew anything about cybernetic surgery and there was a huge risk the procedure could go wrong.

"Well?" Sanford said impatiently, "Are you helping me or not?"

Kramer looked at Riley unconscious on the bed, and then slowly nodded, guessing he stood more of a chance of surviving if the procedure wasn't left to Scolex alone – Kramer was no surgeon, but at least he had robotics knowledge, and in a situation like this, it had to be better than nothing at all...


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

_Moments after making the decision to stick around, Kramer regretted it._

Sanford's hand was shaking. It had been shaking from the moment he had picked up the scalpel and made a short, vertical cut to the back of his son's neck. Blood had flowed slowly from the wound, then as Sanford allowed the blade to bite deeper, more blood had spurted out, spattering his shirt and splashing up on to the hand held scanner, making the internal image blur as Kramer's hand shook.

"That's a _lot_ of blood..." he said nervously.

"Shut up, just tell me if I'm deep enough."

Kramer wiped the screen and studied the image.

"I know the solid mass just below is metal – and there's two main cables running up the other side of his throat... I cant tell...I _think_ you can feed it in from there... keep pushing it through the tissue, you're deep enough to go up to the base of the brain but be _careful_..."

Sanford took a deep breath, then wiped away another trickle of blood and began to slide the implant into the incision.

_"Stop!"_ Kramer said in horror, "It's the _wrong_ way around! The _wire_ goes up to the brain – the _implant_ sits in the neck deep in the tissue, don't you know anything? Even _I _know which way that implant goes in!"

Sanford drew the implant out again, turned it around and poked the wire into the cut.

"How am I supposed to know?" he replied, "I'm not an expert."

_"Which is why you shouldn't be –"_

Sanford shot him a look that reminded him of the old days, and for a moment Kramer half expected Scolex to be wearing a metal claw instead of his robotic fake human hand.

"Can _you_ do a better job of it?" Sanford said quietly.

Kramer shook his head.

"I wouldn't want to risk it."

Sanford paused, the wire was a fraction into the wound and then blood ran out as he pushed it in a little deeper.

"Am I at the right angle to push it all the way?" he wondered, looking at the image on the screen.

Kramer studied the scan.

"I can understand robotic scans well enough...I'm not sure if I'm right about this because human tissue looks different. But I'd say the wire has a clear path. I know the shadows above are bone. I don't know what will happen when that wire hits his brain."

Sanford's hand trembled as he held on to the wire and looked at the face of his son.

_"I'm only trying to help you,"_ he said softly, _"and I'm sorry."_

And he pushed the wire deeply inside, all the way until the implant was disappearing into the wound.

Kramer stared at him as he shoved two fingers into the slit in Riley's neck and pushed the implant deeper, then drew away from the wound as more blood ran out.

"You can't just shove a piece of wire into his brain, have you gone crazy?"

Sanford wiped away the blood and took hold of the wound and held the cut together tightly.

"I think that went well," he said, "I know because he's got such a high percentage of cybernetic fluids in his body, this wound should heal almost instantly, too..."

"That's probably the _only_ thing you're right about."

Sanford shot him another look and Kramer fell silent, then they watched as the wound began to close to a pale scar.

Kramer was still holding the scanner against Riley's neck. He slid it higher and stared at the image on the screen:

The implant was buried deep enough and the wire had reached its destination, but there was an inky blurring around the end of it, like a small cloud that rapidly began to fade to a shade of grey.

"I think the high level of cybernetic liquid in his body just saved his life," Kramer said quietly, "You see that area around the end of the wire? That indicates bleeding. The repair process kicked in right away and stopped it but there's scarring in there."

Sanford felt a flicker of panic as he looked back at him.

"What do you mean?"

"You've damaged something. I don't know what or how much because I'm a robotics expert, but it doesn't look too good to me!"

As Kramer removed the scanner, Sanford sat down next to his son and watched him intently.

"He has to be okay. It was only a small wire..."

"_And you're not a doctor."_

"He'll wake up," Sanford said nervously as he looked down at his son, "he has to...I wouldn't hurt him...I just want to help him..."

And he took in a sharp breath as he fought back tears.

Kramer stepped away from the bed and looked at his bloodstained hands.

"I need to get cleaned up."

"You do that," he replied, and sounded distant as he kept his gaze fixed on Riley.

As Kramer left the room, Sanford looked at his son, at the wound that had turned from a healing scar into a pale line that was barely noticeable.

"You'll be okay - you _have_ to be," he said quietly, _"I can't live with any other outcome..."_

* * *

Bess was comfortable as she lay back against soft pillows and watched the sea rolling to shore beyond the bedroom window.

It had taken many days for the pain to ease and her breathing to do the same, but the scar that ran down her chest was covered with an elegant strip of shining metal and as she thought about the titanium heart that was now fixed in her chest, she smiled.

"I didn't know I'd feel this way," she said as Gadget sat down on the edge of the bed.

He still watched her intently and he still worried, too. She wasn't completely recovered yet and needed time for her strength to return. But it was already there, shining in her eyes.

"How do you feel?" he asked her.

"Like I'm joined with something that could touch eternity," she replied, "I know there's something in me that I didn't have before and it's not human, but it means I can go on for many years, I'll see new centuries, I'll live through many changes, and I'll get to see more than most people will. _And_ I'll get to do that with you at my side."

A single thought ran through Gadget's mind:

_And I just feel guilty..._

"We could stop now if you want to," he reminded her, "You don't have to go ahead with any more work that you don't need. I know I'd love to see you with the same look as Cindi but I don't want you to go through any more pain."

Bess smiled as she shook her head.

"I made my mind up, Gadget. I'm not backing out now. It won't be long until I can have the rest of the work done. With the nervous system implants I'll have more energy, I'll tire less often... and I'll get that look you're so crazy about. I've thought about it too, imagined you and me together as equals –"

"We already are, we always were!"

"I don't mean it like that – I mean, as cyborgs. As two people with heavy modification. I want to walk the same path as you, I want to do these things. Don't feel bad about what I have to go through – I feel elated when I think about the titanium heart and the changes to my lungs. I've got the worst part over with. I'm not scared any more."

Gadget fell silent and Bess laughed as she gave his hand a squeeze.

"And _don't_ try and talk me out of it by making up stuff about you and Cindi! I _know _that didn't happen!"

Gadget felt sure he had never felt the weight of guilt so heavy upon him before in his life.

"I was just trying to talk you out of it, I didn't want you to suffer."

He had lied because there was nothing left to do – she refused to believe the truth, and again he felt the situation was very much out of his hands; she had made her choice, and while it was what he wanted too, he still felt regret because she would never have gone through the pain of the cardiovascular work if not for him putting the idea in her head in the first place. Bess had never talked about modification until he mentioned it, and now it seemed it was all she wanted to talk about.

"Don't worry about me," she told him softly.

"But I do," he replied, and then they sat in silence as the waves rolled to shore and Bess rested, and Gadget worried about the future.

* * *

_Riley began to stir._

He gave a sigh and turned over on his back, then opened his eyes, feeling confused as he saw Sanford next to the bed looking down at him.

"What happened?"

"I think you passed out. Maybe it's the shock of being away from the cybernetics center, you just said you didn't feel right and you passed out, Riley. But I _think_ you're okay now..."

Sanford watched closely as Riley sat up.

He briefly put his hand to the back of his neck and rubbed it, then turned his head as if getting rid of muscle stiffness.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Riley sat there and looked at him with confusion in his eyes.

"You picked me up from the cybernetics center this morning?"

"That's right."

Riley thought some more.

"The rest is a blank. Maybe I should go back there, I should tell Brenda about this. I bet it's my wiring...I have to get that fixed..."

He made a move to stand up but Sanford placed his hand on his shoulder, easing him back down again.

"I wouldn't worry about that. I'm sure the wiring is working just fine."

Riley looked up at him with intensity burning in his eyes.

"It had better be!" he exclaimed, "I can't have that..._not_ wiring problems!"

And Sanford's heart sank as he wondered if the implant had caused any kind of impact at all – it seemed Riley still hated his cyborg body...

"You need to accept these things. Please try, Riley."

Riley's eyes widened.

"Accept faulty workings? No way, I'm ninety percent cyborg; I don't want faulty wiring in my amazing body!"

Sanford's heart leapt with joy and hope all at the same time.

"What?" he said, as his eyes blurred with tears.

"I said, I don't want faulty wiring..."

Then he looked down at his arms, exposed by his short sleeved t shirt and shook his head.

"And I definitely need to lose some of this skin. I can't see my man metal."

Sanford still had tears in his eyes as he laughed.

"Your _what_ metal?"

Suddenly it didn't matter that Riley had just used Taylor Braydon's words – the implant had worked, and that was all he cared about, Riley was cured...

"Man metal." Riley replied, "You know, my cyborg body. How will I ever score with the chicks if I don't show it off?"

Sanford smiled. He wasn't exactly sure how Riley's mind would interpret Taylor Braydon's thoughts. He didn't sound like Taylor even though he was reflecting his views - they were Taylor's opinions, as Riley's mind chose to interpret them...

Riley suddenly recalled something and a look of alarm flickered in his eyes.

"How long have I been sick?"

"What do you mean?" Sanford asked him.

"I remember there was a time when I hated my body. _How_ could I have felt that way?"

"You're better now," he promised him, "all of that is in the past."

Riley frowned as he thought harder.

"I don't need to be at the cybernetics center. I'm over all that now, it's weird, but I feel like I'm a totally different person!"

And then he started to smile.

"First thing I'm going to do is get out there and show off my plating! I've got way too much skin covering it!"

All of Sanford's fears began to melt away.

"I think we should go and see Dr Bradford together and you can explain that you've had a change of mind."

"About what?" Riley asked him.

"You wanted to undergo a human body transplant because you couldn't tolerate your cybernetic parts."

Riley stared at him.

"I was _definitely_ going crazy! There's no way I'd do a thing like that... I'm a cyborg. I'm proud to be a cyborg."

"And I'm very proud of you," Sanford told him as tears misted up his vision again.

"I came here for a reason," Riley said, as he struggled to remember, "Did you have something for me?"

It seemed like the perfect moment, even though Sanford had no clue how to handle it.

"Yes, I wanted to explain something, Riley."

And he took a document from his pocket and unfolded it.

"I was told you died," he replied, "I didn't know the truth, not for years. It was only when I started work for the police department and I had access to private records that I found out. I was waiting for the right moment to tell you."

"What are you talking about?" Riley wondered.

Sanford placed the document in his hands, still feeling awkward.

"It's your birth certificate," he told him,"_You're my son._ Now shall we go over to the cybernetics center, I believe you said you wanted to speak to Dr Bradford?"

And Sanford fell silent, looking at his son and feeling useless as he waited for his reaction.

Riley stared at the document, and then looked back at Sanford.

"You're my Dad? But we used to hate each other!"

"We didn't know."

Riley stood up and started to smile again.

"But we've been friends for a while too," he recalled, "and you have wiring around your body, you had it put in when you helped Gadget with his tissue transplant...so you have cyborg parts too. Obviously not as many as me, but its there. We're brothers in that, Sanford... I can't call you father. It's too soon. But you and me, we share metal."

And as Riley hugged him, Sanford fought back tears.

"Let's go and see Brenda," Riley said as he let go of him, "I need to tell her I'm okay now."

And the door opened and Kramer came into the room. He stared at Riley, and then spoke out of sheer relief.

"Oh, thank God you're okay!"

Riley shrugged.

"Why shouldn't I be?"

Kramer looked at Sanford.

"Did you tell him?"

"I know he's my Dad. That's going to take some getting used to." Riley replied.

But Kramer was still looking at Sanford, who shifted awkwardly as he leaned on his cane.

"Not yet..."

Kramer gave a sigh as he shook his head.

"If you don't, I will. He needs to know it's there."

"What's this about?" Riley asked as he turned back to his father.

Sanford paused, trying to think of a way to explain carefully.

"You didn't pass out. You were sedated. I had to do it. If you'd gone through with the human body procedure you would have died, Riley. And so I had to stop you. I had an implant fitted deep in the back of your neck. The wiring goes up to your brain and stops you rejecting your cyborg body."

And he waited for Riley's rage to come out in a way he hadn't seen since the old days.

But instead, Riley smiled.

"Thank you," he said gratefully, "I couldn't have gone on like that, hating my robotic body! I'm a cyborg and I want to stay that way. You've saved my life!"

And Sanford looked at Kramer and smiled.

"I _told_ you everything would work out!" he exclaimed, "We're off to the cybernetics center. Are you coming with us?"

Kramer shook his head.

"I'm going back to work," he replied, "I'm out of this situation!"

Sanford was still smiling.

"Fine, thanks for your help," he said brightly, then he and Riley left the room together, as Kramer thought about how hastily he had programmed that implant – and hoped Sanford was right, because he wasn't sure if the program wouldn't run without a few glitches...

* * *

Brenda Bradford was almost ready to finish work for the day, and she was looking forward to taking the rest of the afternoon off, because she had promised Jax she would meet with him. Since the day she had left in a rush, she had returned his calls and spoken with him frequently, and missed him too – but her heart ached as she thought about the deadly chemicals he was playing around with, and it made sense to stay away, even if her heart was breaking to be with him.

Eventually he had worn her down, and she had promised to come over and see him again – and now the time was getting closer, as much as she hated to face the fact, she knew she was looking forward to it.

She also knew she loved him, and nothing could change that.

Her mind was screaming to avoid him, but her heart had no choice in the matter as it silently urged her to hold on, because her feelings for him were deep and real. Brenda had waited a long time to find a man who she felt so sure about – and in some ways, it seemed crazy to let him go because she didn't approve of the way he misused the chemical spray.

It also seemed crazy to want to be with him now she knew the truth.

But at the same time, love was something crazy in itself – something that was random and sudden and couldn't be explained...

Jax was far from perfect, but she loved him, and she was giving in to it now, because her heart was involved, so there could be no other way.

And then, as she was about to finish off the last of her paperwork and get ready to leave early, there was a knock on her office door.

When Sanford and Riley walked in she looked at them in alarm, wondering if Riley had become unwell, or even self harmed while he was away from the facility – but then Sanford smiled as they both sat down, and let Riley do the talking.

"I'm just stopping by to say it's about time I left this place," Riley explained, "And don't worry about how I feel about my cyborg body. I love it, I'm proud of it. I don't want the human transplant any more. I was sick back then and I'm not now. _I want to get out of here and get on with my life_."

Brenda stared at him.

She had never seen Riley seem so positive or heard him speak like this before – it was almost as if the Riley Hammerstone she knew had been replaced...

"What's happened?"

She directed that question to Sanford, who laughed.

"You heard my son, Brenda – he's better now. _He wants to leave_."

"But he's at _risk,_ Sanford!"

"Not any more," he replied.

Then Riley spoke up again.

_"Sanford found me a cure."_

Brenda's eyes grew wider as she stared at Sanford.

"I don't understand...his condition is incurable."

As he sat there looking at her, the man who used to be known as Claw felt immensely smug and proud of himself.

_"I did something you couldn't do,"_ he told her, _"I found him a cure. He has a permanent implant to stop him from feeling rejection towards his cyborg body. He doesn't hate it any more; he loves it, he's proud to be a cyborg."_

Brenda fixed her gaze on him as the look in her eyes hardened.

"What the hell have you done, Scolex? He _never_ would have consented to this before the implant!"

Riley sat back and folded his arms, watching the conversation with a bemused look in his eyes.

"Hey, chick –"

Brenda blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, hey chick – I _am_ here, you know. You _don't_ have to talk over me. I realize you'd love me to stay around. I can understand that, a young guy like me, with all this _hot_ cybernetic work for you to play with – but I'm _not_ sick any more and I want to leave."

Brenda's jaw dropped.

"What...how... I don't understand this sudden _arrogance_ you've got over your metal work!"

Riley smiled.

_"Either fill out my paperwork or I'm walking out the door, babe."_

Brenda continued to look at him with a stunned expression.

"Well I'm not letting you go anywhere until I take a look at this implant work you've had done."

"I think we should just leave," Sanford said nervously.

But Riley stood up and laughed.

"Fine," he replied, "You can check me out right now."

And he got up and went over to a table where he had spotted a hand held scanner.

Brenda followed him over and he handed it to her, turning around to expose his neck, where a tiny scar had rapidly healed.

"Take a look, I'm okay with that."

"_I'm not..."_ Sanford muttered as he leaned on his cane and rose from his seat.

He watched nervously as Brenda switched it on and held the device over the scar at the back of his son's neck, and then slid it upwards carefully.

She looked intently at the screen and then shook her head as she turned off the scanner and set it down heavily on the table.

"What kind of a butcher did you employ to put that thing in your son's head?"

Sanford felt far more guilt than he cared to show.

"I'm not naming anyone!" he replied, "I've got no complaints – the implant's working!"

Anger still shone in Brenda's eyes.

"He only survived because of his rapid healing process – what did they do, _shove_ it in there? That implant can never be removed, it caused damage going in and it would kill him to take it out again! _Why_ did you do this?"

"_To save his life!"_

Then Riley spoke up.

"I _am_ here!" he reminded them, "_And_ I'm happy with the result, so just be quiet, it's over –"

_"But it was irresponsible!"_ Brenda fumed.

Riley glanced back at her.

"So what? Just drop the subject, okay? _Shut up Scolex, I'm programming_."

Sanford and Brenda stared at Riley, who didn't seem to know what he had just said.

"What?" he wondered.

"You just said _shut up Scolex I'm programming?_"

Riley shook his head.

"I don't _think_ I did..."

And she turned to Sanford, who had given a weary sigh on hearing his son repeat part of the conversation that had taken place during programming – a part that Kramer _should _have spotted and taken out...

"You deserve to go to jail for this!" she said angrily.

Sanford looked back at her and tried to keep his temper in check, recalling he used to be Claw and in those days, had done many terrible things he regretted eternally – including causing the death of Brenda's father...

"I didn't come here to fight over this," he said quietly, "I acted in my son's best interests and Riley is happy with the result. You can't prosecute me for curing him – unless he's not happy with it. _Are_ you happy, Riley?"

His son smiled again.

"I've never felt so good in my whole life," he replied.

Brenda sat down at her desk and breathed out heavily.

"Just go, Sanford. I have nothing left to say to you. What you did was a total disregard for his rights as a person, and you're right, too – Riley's happy with it, you can't be prosecuted if your son won't press charges."

"Let's go," Riley said, and as he and Sanford walked to the door, he suddenly turned back.

"Thanks for everything, Brenda," he told her, "Maybe I'll see you around sometime."

And then he winked, and followed his father out of the office.

Brenda accessed Riley's records, briefly filling out details of his release, and then she took his name off the list for the human body transplant, shut down her computer and grabbed her purse.

The formerly peaceful afternoon had ended with a shock, but work was over now, and all she wanted to do was get out of there, leave her troubles behind and go and see Jax. He was far from perfect and far from ideal, but she loved him and wanted to believe his promise when he said there would be no more secrets...

Then she turned to the window, wondering why the sky had suddenly changed from clear blue to smoky grey.

And then her eyes widened in horror as she took in the scene that was framed by her window:

_There were cop cars all over the center of town. There was a fire breaking out, people were running, throwing missiles and smashing windows..._

_A riot in Riverton?_

"Why the hell is this happening?" she said in a shocked voice.

* * *

Gadget was at home with Bess when the TV news channel flashed up a story that a riot had broken out in center of town.

As Bess sat up and caught her breath from the sudden movement, Gadget put another pillow behind her back and they both watched as the report unfolded, describing a sudden rise in crime that had now exploded into rioting over rising prices at the dreaming facility. The rioters were described as behaving like addicts desperate for a fix – stealing and looting, doing anything they could to finance their addiction...

"This can't be right!" Gadget said in surprise, "It's just a leisure facility..."

And then he thought back to all the times he had found his thoughts taken over, the urges he had felt to just go over there and lose himself in the dream world...

The plumes of smoke that rose from the burning buildings on the TV screen reflected in his eyes as he reached his conclusion:

"_That place has to be shut down,"_ he said quietly, _"something's wrong...it's not as safe as we thought it was."_

Even as he said those words, he felt a flicker of sadness at the thought that he would never be entering that building to lose himself in a false paradise again.

But he knew the truth now – this was part of a bigger plan – Jax was hiking up prices. He had let enough time go by for everyone to use the machines, to get hooked – and then put his prices sky high. _People were desperate because they were addicted..._

"I need to call the Chief!"

Gadget stayed sitting at her bedside and extended his arm across the room to grab the phone.

"You can go and help if you want to," Bess told him, "I'll be fine."

His hand snapped back into place at his wrist as he looked back at Bess. Her eyes still carried shadows beneath them and she was also slightly breathless.

"I won't leave you unless I have to. I just need to know what the situation is," he said, and called the Chief's number.

It rang for a brief time and then Quimby picked up.

"What's happening, sir?" he asked.

"We've had a rise in crime over the last few days... it got a bit heavy about an hour ago but my men are getting the situation under control... I think we can handle it. There was some looting and a fire but it's all being dealt with. Apparently some people got together and decided to start looting to make money for more access to the dreaming facility. I guess everything that's enjoyable has the potential for addiction, but this is a one off incident; I don't blame the dreaming facility. And neither should you, Gadget! I go over there four, sometimes five days a week. It would be wrong to close it down."

A startled look appeared in Gadget's eyes.

"Sir, I think the dreaming facility is addictive to _all_ users. Jax has just hiked his prices up. People are so desperate to pay to go back they're rioting. Think about this – the machines are addictive!"

"Are you accusing me of being hooked on an innocent leisure facility?" Quimby exclaimed, "I've never heard such nonsense in my life, Gadget!"

And Gadget gave a sigh.

"But sir, this situation will get worse if we don't shut the facility down. At least let me go over and talk to Jax about what he's doing over there – I have the feeling there's more to this than we know about. Please, just let me talk to the guy. I'm not going over there with a warrant, I just want to work out what's gone wrong here."

The Chief paused.

"Okay, Gadget. Go and see him. But you won't get any back up from me, I'm not thinking about having the place closed. So watch your step."

"Thank you, Chief," Gadget replied, and ended the call.

Then he turned to Bess, who still looked weary as she rested against her pillow.

"I'm sorry, honey – this is an emergency. I need to get over to East Riverton and speak to Jax about a few things. I won't be long."

And he leaned over her and stroked her hair as he gently kissed her cheek.

Bess smiled.

"Go and do your duty, Inspector. I'm okay; I'm just at home resting. Don't worry about me."

"You _know _I will!" Gadget replied, and then he left the room, grabbed his hat and trench coat and went out the front door, and hurried over to the Gadget Mobile.

* * *

Brenda had taken the long way around to reach the Riverton Bridge – as much as she wanted to see Jax, she wasn't prepared to drive through the trouble that was erupting in town, so she had taken the scenic route and hoped the traffic going on to the bridge wouldn't be too busy at this time of day.

But when she got there, she was surprised to see the traffic flowing heavy coming _back_ from the dreaming facility – the route into the place was empty.

Then she noticed the illuminated sign across the bridge, it read: _Waking Dreams under emergency shutdown – resuming business 9 am._

Her first thought was that maybe Jax was unwell, either because of the chemicals he abused or because of the old injuries that cause him so much pain. She couldn't think of any other reason why he would close down his successful business so early in the afternoon...

She drove on to the Riverton Bridge, picking up speed as she crossed it, her thoughts fixed on Jax as she hoped she would find him safe and well.

* * *

Gadget had driven around the chaos as Quimby's men struggled to regain order.

Then he had cut around the back streets and arrived just outside of town and plotted a course for the Riverton Bridge.

As they drove along, Gadget spoke up:

"I want you to pull up all the records you can find on Jax Wilberforce. Criminal, medical – anything."

"Shall I turn out the rockets too?" the car asked.

"No," Gadget replied, "I'll drive, you scan. I want to turn something up before I get there because he's hiding something and I don't know what it is..."

"I'm on the case, G Man!" the car replied, and began an electronic search.

Gadget kept both hands on the wheel and a third came out of his hat, dived into his pocket, pulled out his cell phone and hit a number on speed dial, then held the phone to his ear.

It rang for a couple of minutes and he started to worry, but then Bess answered.

"I'm on way over to see Jax. I just wanted to check you're okay."

Bess gave a sigh.

"Oh Gadget, stop worrying about me! Go and do your job, honey, I'm fine."

"Make sure you stay fine, I love you."

"I love you too," she replied, and he ended the call.

The hand replaced his phone and then it vanished back into his hat once more.

The Riverton Bridge was looming up in the distance.

_"I've got something!"_ the car announced.

Gadget looked down at the screen.

"What is it?"

"A few years back, before he founded his first big company, there was an explosion at a small factory he owned. It was suspected arson and the cops questioned him, but they couldn't prove it. He got the insurance money and used the cash to found his research company. And he wasn't injured in the explosion, but the cybernetics center has a copy of his medical records that said he had terrible injuries. I double checked with the source and I hit a wall. So I tracked down his _real_ medical notes and guess what? He _wasn't_ injured in the explosion. But he sent Brenda Bradford a copy of the notes that were altered and stated he got hurt - they're fakes. _Why would he do that?_"

Gadget felt a ripple of anger pass through his cyborg body as his jaw tightened and he gripped the wheel harder, recalling his own love affair with her so long ago, how Brenda had fallen into his arms, telling him he was so brave, such a hero to have survived all he had been through - if Jax had known that, he would have fabricated his own past to manipulate her.

"I think he lied to get closer to her," he said, "but I don't know how he did it...unless..."

Gadget paused, shaking his head as a crazy notion came to mind:

Brenda had whispered those things to him so long ago, when they were lovers...that she adored his courage and his strength... Jax _never_ would have known that unless he had access to her thoughts.

_And the only way he could have got in there, was via her dreams..._

Suddenly this wasn't just a friendly call on Jax to inquire about the safety of the dreaming machines, this was about something else entirely – there was a possibility that Jax had a way to access dreams, and if that was true, he had to be stopped...

_"Turn out the rockets,"_ Gadget said, _"We've got no time to lose!"_

And the rockets fired up and the Gadget Mobile shot across the bridge at lightning speed.

* * *

Kramer was at out at work.

Robo Gadget was at home, with Robo Brenda, with his arm around her as they watched TV.

But when the news flashed up about the rioting in Riverton, he sat up sharply as his dark eyes shone with excitement.

"This is it!" he announced, "I'm needed in town, honey! Gadget's off duty, I'll have to take his place."

Robo Brenda stared at him.

"You can't do that, silly! You're supposed to work _with _him, not do his job when he's off work taking care of Bess!"

But Robo Gadget had already snatched up the keys to Brenda's car.

"Don't worry about me," he said as he headed for the door.

Then he turned back, smiling as he flashed his slightly too-big teeth.

"Today is the day I show this town I'm a changed robot!" he said proudly, "I'm going out there to end this riot! Gadget will be _so_ proud of me!"

Robo Brenda's eyes reflected alarm as she looked at him.

"But you can't..."

"I've got paperwork that says I can," he replied, "Inspector Gadget filled it out. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a town to clean up – and don't worry, _nothing_ can go wrong!"

Then he hurried out the door, and moments later Robo Brenda heard her car door slam and the engine fire up, then Robo Gadget drove off at speed, tyres squealing as the car lurched from the driveway and hit the road.

"_I have a bad feeling about this!"_ she said, as she sat alone and worried, wondering if Robo Gadget was right – or if he was wrong, and about to land himself in deep trouble he couldn't get out of...


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

As Brenda got out of her car outside the main building at the Waking Dreams facility, the Gadget Mobile screeched to a halt.

Gadget jumped out of the car, clearing the door and landing the other side of it with the agility of an athlete and then he ran over to her, calling her name and telling her to wait.

As he reached her she stared at him.

"What's going on? "

"Half of Riverton is in chaos because people are going crazy to feed their addiction to the dreaming machine. Jax has pushed the price up, he's turned them into addicts and now he's making them turn to crime to feed their addiction!"

She shook her head.

"No, _no_, Gadget! Jax wouldn't do a thing like that, there has to be another reason!"

He looked into her eyes and felt sympathy for her; she loved Jax. Of course she didn't want to hear the truth, but he had to give it to her, because she deserved to know, she deserved better than to be used and lied to...

"Jax wasn't injured in that explosion, Brenda_. He lied to you_. Those medical records he sent you were fake!"

Brenda turned her face towards the bridge where the water rippled and sunlight danced upon it as she shook her head again and her red hair was gently ruffled by the passing breeze.

"No, I don't want to hear it," she said quietly, as her words were half lost as the breeze carried them in the direction of the water, "I love him, Gadget! I love Jax..."

He reached for her, as his hand touched her shoulder she shrugged it off, but he stepped closer and put his arm around her and this time Brenda welcomed his embrace, safe in the shelter of his arms as she buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed.

"_He told me, no more lies..."_ she wept, her voice muffled as she stayed against his shoulder, her tears staining his trench coat as she sobbed again.

Gadget held her for a moment, staying silent, because he knew there was nothing he could say that could ease her pain – she knew she had been betrayed.

Then as she took in a breath and let go of him, hurt reflected in her eyes.

"_I can't turn my back on him, I can't do it!"_

"I believe he's found a way to record dreams. Brenda, the guy is dangerous! He used our intimate moments, _our_ memories to get you to fall in love with him!"

Brenda thought about her dreams in the machine, of memories that were relived, memories of her and Gadget...

She looked at him intently, thoughts of Jax and his betrayal shifting to the back of her mind as she wondered how he had worked it out.

"How could you know what I dreamed about in the machine?"

Gadget's blue eyes briefly sparkled with fondness.

"Let's just say when it was my turn to dream, you were in there somewhere too – we never forget those who touch our hearts, Brenda."

And in that moment despite her heartache, Brenda managed a smile, feeling sure she would never feel truly alone while Inspector Gadget was in the world.

"If he has found a way to do it, we have to stop him," she agreed, "I don't think he would deliberately cause harm. I can't imagine him doing a thing like that!"

They began to walk towards the entrance of the building.

Brenda stopped by the doorway and turned to Gadget.

"I can't keep this secret any more – he's created a cocktail of chemicals that boost his intellect. He said he used it to build the dreaming machine. He also told me he's building a time machine. I believe him – I think he can achieve anything, but he's doing it in a very dangerous way. Those drugs could kill him."

"Then he's capable of recording dreams too," Gadget replied, "And I have to stop him before the whole town falls apart!"

* * *

Robo Gadget slammed on the brakes and the car screeched to a halt.

He got out and looked around, recalling the chaos on the day he had been programmed to destroy Riverton. Back then, people had run away in fear of him.

_But not any more..._

He smiled as he watched the looters and the rioters, to his left, the cops were wrestling some rioters to the ground.

To his right, others were puling guns and exchanging fire with police.

"_This is it!"_ he said excitedly, _"Time to be a hero!"_

And he ran and ducked as bullets whizzed overhead, diving for cover next to a burning building, where a large store front was broken and rioters had recently been arrested and removed from the scene.

He looked down amid the electrical goods and shattered glass and smiled as he leaned over and picked up two hand guns.

As he checked them his eyes glittered darkly.

"What do you know, still loaded!" he exclaimed, and then he raised both guns and ran towards a group of rioters.

"_Stop in the name of the law!"_ he yelled, and opened fire.

Bullets sprayed the walls, rioters ducked and scattered, police moved in and just as his final shot punched a hole in a concrete wall, the cops fired back, assuming the android had joined the looters.

As bullets punctured his metal plating, his body jerked backwards, the guns slipped from his grasp and Robo Gadget fell hard to the ground, leaking fluid and struggling to move as weakness overtook him and his mind headed for rapid shutdown.

* * *

As they entered the Waking Dreams facility, Gadget noticed the building was silent.

"Jax?" he called out, but only his own voice echoed back at him.

"Maybe he's on the top floor," Brenda suggested, and they made their way to the elevator.

Gadget hit the button and the doors slid open and they stepped inside. As Gadget pressed the button for the top floor, Brenda turned to him.

"Don't be too hard on Jax, I'm sure he didn't intend to cause all this trouble. Maybe he didn't know the machine was addictive. Maybe he was going to put the prices up anyway – after all, he is a business man."

Then she saw the look in Gadget's eyes and fell silent.

"You know that's not true," Gadget replied as the elevator began to ascend, "He planned it, Brenda. _He planned it all_."

And the doors opened and they stepped out at the top floor.

Brenda turned from the corridor that led to the dreaming machines and indicated the other way, towards the control room.

"He's probably in there – there's an internal door that leads through to his apartment."

Gadget turned towards it and began to walk.

"Go go Gadget hand gun," he said, and then caught the look of alarm in Brenda's eyes as the gun slid into his grasp.

"You can't pull a gun on him, he's not dangerous!"

"No?" Gadget replied, "Think about the harm he's caused so far. And stay behind me, this could get rough."

He reached the door and paused.

"Jax?" he called out, "Are you in there? I need to ask some questions..."

There was no reply.

"Jax?" Brenda said loudly, "It's okay, we just want to talk to you."

Gadget tried the door and it swung open.

Jax looked up nervously from the controls as he shut down the last of the machinery and then took off his tinted glasses.

"I heard about the riots, how the press are blaming me..."

He stood nervously by the main control desk and shook his head.

"It's all lies. My machines are harmless, Inspector!"

Gadget discreetly retracted his gun back out of sight where it stayed stored away until he needed to _go go_ it again. Jax was standing there looking wide eyed, more terrified than innocent as he tried to cover up his crimes.

"Jax," Gadget said sharply, "I _know_, I worked it out! You made the machines addictive so people would get desperate for more, then you put your prices up to bleed this town dry! _And _you've been recording dreams, I know all about it."

Panic flashed in his eyes as Jax reached under the control center and drew out a disc.

"And what _lovely _dreams you had, Inspector!" he said bitterly, "I wonder how Bess would react if she knew about your imaginary threesome? Or about your dream encounter with Cindi?"

Gadget shook his head.

"You're under arrest - and all those illegal recordings are going to be destroyed!" he told him, "You won't get away with any more of this, it's over!"

Jax was trembling as he looked at Brenda.

"Tell him, Brenda – it's not the way he thinks it is! I wasn't hurting anyone; I was just experimenting with new technology."

"You're a liar!" she said as she blinked away tears, "You promised me, you said I knew everything! You said no more lies!"

He looked at her pleadingly.

"Please forgive me. I'll put all of this right. I'll fix the equipment; I'll turn down the strength of the frequency..."

"It's too late," Gadget told him, "You're under arrest."

Jax turned and ran for the door.

Brenda yelled his name, but he didn't look back as the door slammed and heavy locks slid into place.

"What now?" Brenda said anxiously.

"Leave it to me," Gadget replied as he approached the heavy door.

He raised his hand.

"Go go Gadget blowtorch!" he said, and the blow torch snaked up from his wrist, fired up, and Gadget began to cut around the locking mechanism.

* * *

Robo Gadget woke up in a cell.

He looked through the bars and called to an officer who sat at a desk across the other side of the room.

"Hey, you've got to help me, I'm losing fluid, and I've got bullet holes!"

The cop glanced up at him.

"Just sit tight, Robo Gadget, We're waiting for secure transport to take you to the holding facility – the place where all the dangerous androids wind up!"

He gave a gasp as fear flickered in his dark eyes.

"_But I was on duty!_ I can prove it - Inspector Gadget has the paperwork! I was trying to uphold the law, not _break_ it!"

The cop just shook his head, turned away from the sight of the wounded android, and carried on reading a newspaper.

"Listen to me!" Robo Gadget protested, and he tried to move, but his body was heavy an unresponsive.

_"I'm damaged!_" he said in panic, _"I need help..."_

The cop folded the newspaper, got up and left the room without a single glance back.

Robo Gadget looked down at his body peppered with bullet holes, thought of home and Kramer and Robo Brenda and gave a sob.

_"Don't I even get a phone call?"_ he said tearfully, but no one was there to answer him.

* * *

Sanford Scolex had taken the straight route home – his old Claw days had swiftly kicked in as he had driven a straight path through the crowd of looters and rioters, sending people scattering as he sped up, threatening to knock them all aside like skittles.

By the time he got home, Riley jumped out of the car first and anxiously inspected it.

"Don't worry," Sanford told him, "I don't think the car got scratched..."

Riley's eyes widened.

"I was checking it for blood!"

Sanford laughed it off and put his arm around his son's shoulder as they walked up to the front door.

"Penny should be home soon. She's going to be so happy when I tell her the good news that you're safe and well, and coming to live with us."

"I am?"

Riley sounded surprised.

Then Sanford remembered his son's memory was slightly gone regarding the events that had led up to the implant being fitted.

"I'd like you to come and stay with us, with me and Penny and SJ. We can be a proper family."

Riley smiled.

"I'd like that," he replied, "I'd like that more than anything, Sanford!"

* * *

As the last blast from the blowtorch cut through the lock, Gadget stepped back and kicked the door. It flew open and then he and Brenda dashed into the apartment owned by Jax Wilberforce.

Brenda looked left and right.

"Where did he go?"

Gadget walked over to the window and looked out.

Down below was a small quay side and there was a speed boat anchored there.

"I think he's got an escape plan," he remarked, "But he can't get out except through the front door and then the elevator..."

Brenda's eyes widened.

"_Jax!"_ she yelled in panic.

Gadget heard real fear in her voice as she looked towards a closed door across the other side of the room.

He opened the door and as he did so, Brenda pushed past him, running up the hallway, past open doors that led to empty rooms, heading for the closed one at the end of the hall.

"Oh no _please_ let me be wrong..._he wouldn't have_..." she said tearfully.

Then she tried the door, pushing it, twisting the handle, but it stayed firmly shut.

"I'll deal with this," Gadget replied, and Brenda stepped back, expecting him to summon another of his Gadgets to open the locked door.

Instead he took a step back and then simply kicked it and the wooden frame splintered as the door swung open.

"What is this place?" Gadget asked as he looked around at the desk and the paperwork and a small control panel where lights were blinking.

"His private office...I don't know what that panel is for, I thought he shut everything down?"

Gadget hurried over to the door that led into the next room.

"Where does this lead to?"

"The bedroom," she replied.

Gadget tried the door, and it opened easily.

He stepped into the room and took in the scene that lay before him, having no time to hold Brenda back as he pushed past him, and then fell to her knees as she gave a sob.

_"Jax, no!"_ she cried, as Jax lay on the carpet on his side, blood running from his nose. His eyes were shut and he still held the opened vial of chemical spray in his hand, the cap was off, the spray top was off, the vial was empty...he had taken an overdose.

Brenda put her arm around him, lifting him closer as she cradled his head on her lap.

_"Jax...Jax!"_ she stammered.

And then her professional side kicked in as she felt for a pulse, and then she looked up at Gadget.

"He's taken a massive overdose. He's still breathing but he won't live for long unless we get him to the cybernetics center...We can't take him in the Gadget Mobile, he needs life support..."

Gadget took out his phone and made the call.

Then he lifted Jax into his arms and began to carry him to the door.

"I'll get him downstairs. I need you to grab those copies of the dream recordings from the control room... I have to get this evidence over to Quimby and get this place shut down, it's a crime scene now."

"Okay," Brenda said quickly, and as Gadget headed for the elevator, she ran back to the control room and snatched up a box of discs, noticed one was marked _Brenda_ and slipped it into her pocket, and then she ran back and took the next elevator down to the ground floor.

Gadget carried Jax out of the building and laid him gently on the ground.

"There's a support unit from the cybernetics center on its way over," he told her, "I have to get the evidence back to the Chief and tell him everything."

Brenda was kneeling on the ground beside Jax.

"I'll stay with him," she replied.

Gadget ran back to the car and got in, and moments later the Gadget Mobile's engine fired up, and Gadget headed off down the long wide road that led to the Riverton Bridge.

* * *

Robo Brenda had sobbed all the way over to the police station.

Chief Quimby was still busy, after a long day working with his men to bring the riot under control.

But after Robo Gadget had finally been allowed one phone call and Kramer had learned what had happened, he had managed to speak to the Chief, who had made a quick call to explain that Robo Gadget had been acting in defense of Riverton – although he shouldn't have done it without Gadget's approval, but he knew Gadget had signed the paperwork, and that was the only confirmation needed to release him from custody...

Robo Brenda gave another sob as Kramer helped Robo Gadget to his feet and fluid ran out of bullet holes that peppered his metal plating beneath torn clothing.

"I'm sorry, honey," he said to her as Kramer led him out of the building, "But sometimes you _have_ to get smashed up when you're a hero!"

And she slapped his arm.

"_Idiot!" _she screeched in a high-pitched metallic voice, _"You could have been killed!"_

As Kramer helped him into the car and Robo Brenda sat anxiously beside him, Robo Gadget turned to her with a worried look in his dark eyes.

"I might be mortally wounded, I might not make it...I might permanently deactivate at any minute!"

"No you won't," Kramer told him, "It's just a few holes in your plating, stop scaring your girlfriend because you want sympathy!"

Robo Gadget gave a sigh.

"Well anything's better than being called an idiot!"

"You _are_ an idiot!" Kramer snapped, "Now I have to take you back to the lab and spend the rest of the day digging out bullets! Thanks a lot, I had a date with Cindi, now I'll have to cancel!"

And he turned a corner and the car sped up, heading towards Braydon Industries.

* * *

Brenda was on her knees as she cradled Jax in her arms.

As more blood ran from his nose, he gave a weak gasp and his eyes slowly opened.

_"Sorry..."_ he murmured, _"Sorry...for...what I did... I just want to be with you...forever..."_

And he closed his eyes again as he fought for breath, then tried to focus on Brenda once more.

_"I wanted to...run but._.._no...time_._.."_ he whispered, _"I primed the explosives..."_

"What explosives?" she said in alarm.

Pain registered on his face, making speech impossible.

He looked to the Riverton Bridge, then back at Brenda.

_"Sorry..."_ he whispered, and closed his eyes once more.

Brenda gently lowered him to the ground and then stood up.

"Explosives?" she wondered, then she thought about the boat at the back of the facility – a clean getaway across the river, part of the escape plan he had no time to carry out...

And then it hit her:

_He had planned to blow the bridge, to stop the cops from crossing over..._

And now she understood what that small control panel in his office was for.

Brenda ran towards the Riverton Bridge, where the Gadget Mobile was speeding across.

"_GADGET!" _she yelled, frantically waving her arms, but the car sped on.

* * *

The end of the bridge was almost in sight.

"It's a sad way to wrap up a case," the Gadget Mobile said, "Jax should have been man enough to face the music – not try and check out early to avoid it!"

"Well no one knew he would do a thing like that," Gadget replied, "And we have to get these discs to the Chief. It's all the evidence we need. This case is closed now."

"And you can get home to Bess."

Gadget smiled at the thought of his lover.

"I can't wait," he replied.

_And back at the control room, the timer hit zero._

As a blast came from beneath the bridge, the road cracked and split as the bridge buckled.

"_Hang on, G Man!"_ the car yelled, trying to make a run for the end of the bridge as the road dipped and the car ran into a skid.

_"I'm trying to!"_ he said to the car, as he fought to stay on the road.

Gadget held on to the wheel, frantically trying to keep control.

And the road split, and the Gadget Mobile shot off the edge, landed on its side as metal crushed against the rocky bank of the river, the car rolled and landed upright, half in the water, half shattered on the driver's side.

Gadget was still strapped to his seat, his eyes closed as he sat there motionless, with human and cybernetic skin torn from his neck as a main cable jutted out from the side of his throat, it was broken and he was rapidly loosing blood and oil and cybernetic fluid.

* * *

Bess had watched the news reports that said the rioting had been contained, and then she had turned off the TV. She had gone back to sleep and woken up sure she had heard the phone ringing. But as she sat up, she heard no sound.

She had checked the time and decided to get dressed, guessing Gadget ought to be back home soon, now the crisis was over.

Bess had got up and slowly dressed, feeling sure everything was getting that little bit easier with each passing day – it wouldn't be long before she was recovered fully.

She had just buttoned up her blouse, then smiled as she opened a couple of buttons again, exposing a flash of the metal work that ran down her chest – she was sure Gadget would love to see that – and then she brushed her hair, wondered if she would miss having hair to brush when after she underwent the scalp treatment and had the metal plating fixed in, and then she put the brush down and turned from the mirror as she heard a knock on the door.

Bess smiled, picturing the look on Gadget's face when she opened the door and he saw her up and feeling better.

But her smile disappeared as she saw who was on her doorstep.

It wasn't Gadget...

"_Bess I'm sorry,"_ Chief Quimby said_, "But I have some bad news."_

Bess opened the door wider and the Chief came in.

They stood together in the hallway as Bess took in a sharp breath and looked back him as fear reflected in her eyes.

_She had always known Gadget's job carried risk._

_She had always known one day she might get this knock on the door._

_But she still wasn't ready for it..._

"What's happened?" she said in a hushed voice.

"Gadget went over to the dreaming facility. He found evidence of illegal activity and tried to apprehend Jax Wilberforce. Jax ran off and took an overdose, he's been flown to they cybernetics center but they don't think they can save him. Before he took the overdose he primed explosives beneath the Riverton Bridge. Gadget was on his way back with the evidence, he didn't know about the bomb. The bridge was destroyed and the Gadget Mobile went off the edge and landed on the river bank below. The car's smashed to pieces and Gadget has serious injuries. He's been rushed into the lab and Brenda's working on him as we speak. _He's ruptured a main cable in his neck._"

Her hand flew to her mouth as she stifled a sob and tears filled her eyes.

Bess was a cybernetic surgeon; Quimby knew he needed to explain no more – the main cable rupture was a potentially life threatening injury for any heavily modified cyborg, and Gadget was no exception.

"I need to be there for him," she stammered, reaching for her jacket.

Quimby helped her to slip it on, and then he put his arm around her, remembering she was still recovering from the cybernetic work.

"I'll drive you over there right away," he promised, and led her from the house to a waiting car.

* * *

Taylor had broken the speed limit more than once even though Emma had told him to slow down.

"The cops have spent all day arresting looters!" she exclaimed as tires screeched and they turned a corner, "I don't think that means they're too busy to arrest speeders too!"

"I just want to see Gadget," he said tearfully, "I can't believe what I heard on the news..._I just want to see him!_"

And he stopped the car with a jolt, almost running into the back of another car.

The driver got out, leaning on his cane as he glared at Taylor.

"You stupid fool!" said Sanford Scolex, "You could have run into the back of me!"

"I'm worried about Gadget," he replied, as he and Emma got out of the car.

Sanford's anger melted away because he was there too for the same reason.

"We're _all_ worried about him," he replied, and then Penny got out of Sanford's car. Her eyes were red from crying as Sanford put his arm around her. She had sobbed ever since she heard the news, and now Riley was home looking after SJ and they didn't know when they would be going home again, because they didn't know how long Gadget's life would hang in the balance.

"I want to see my Uncle," Penny said tearfully.

Sanford pulled her a little closer, offering her comfort even though he felt no one could him any, because his heart had been broken from the moment he heard the news.

"You will," he promised her, "very soon, when he's out of danger."

And then Sanford led her up the steps and Emma and Taylor followed, and they went into the cybernetics center to anxiously wait for news.

* * *

The time passed and evening gave way to nightfall.

They all sat together in the waiting area and little was said as the time crawled by.

Then Brenda walked slowly up the corridor and as she approached them, she addressed Bess, but glanced at Penny too.

"Gadget's ruptured a main cable and it's not simple to fix," she began, adding, "I know you already understand that part, Bess."

And she looked to his niece as she continued, "The cable is permanently fixed at both points – one end to the spine, the other to the brain. He has two of these cables to maintain a steady flow of all the fluids he needs to function and survive. But he can't survive if either of them become damaged beyond repair. We've managed to close up the break in the cable but it's _not_ permanently sealed. We have to find a way to seal it or he won't survive. And I can't tell you any more until I know how he responds to treatment. He's still in surgery."

Penny gave a sob and Sanford put his arms around her.

Bess blinked away tears.

"I want to help."

"No Bess, you're too involved. I have a fine team in there with him, my best people. I have done everything I can to seal the rupture and they're trying to make it hold. I don't know anything else yet. I'm sorry, we just have to wait."

And then a nurse called to her.

"Is it about my Uncle?" Penny said anxiously.

"No, it's about Jax Wilberforce," she replied, and then she walked away to speak with the nurse.

Penny was quietly sobbing as Sanford held her in his arms.

_"Wilberforce is still alive?"_ he said in a low voice as rage burned in his eyes, _"If it was up to me I'd turn off his life support!"_

Then Penny looked up at him with tears in her eyes as she shook her head.

"That's not what my Uncle would have wanted," she reminded him, and Sanford fell silent once more as he kept his thoughts of revenge to himself.

* * *

Brenda followed the nurse into the room where Jax was hooked up to wires and monitors.

"I don't know how long we can keep him alive," she said quietly, and walked over to his bedside.

"The multiple implants are functioning, " the nurse told her, "he was out of surgery an hour ago and he's holding on."

"But he's not stable?"

The nurse shook her head.

"He's not stabilizing at all," she replied.

Brenda glanced at the monitors and slowly nodded.

"Then we have to hope the implants can keep him going until he's over the worst of it." she added, and moved closer to his bedside.

As the nurse left the room, Brenda gently touched his face, but Jax was barely aware of the world around him as he lay there with the top of his skull removed and a clear plastic shell covering it; the shell was punctured with wires that were buried deep in his damaged brain.

"Can you hear me?" she whispered, "I _hope_ you can. You have no idea of the damage you've caused in this town, and you don't know what you did to a good man, a man I care about..."

Then his hand trembled, his fingertips raised a fraction and she took hold of his hand.

_"But I still love you,"_ she said tearfully, _"I wish I didn't, but I can't help it, Jax. You didn't mean to hurt Gadget, I think you tried to warn me... but it was too late."_

And then she drew the disc from the pocket of her lab coat and slid it into the machine beside his bed.

"I took a playback machine from the dreaming facility. I thought it might help you."

And she attached a sensor that trailed from the machine to his temple, just below the plastic shell that covered his brain.

_"You wanted to be with me forever,"_ she said softly, _"Now you can be."_

And she pressed _play_.

Tears ran down her face as she saw flickering images appear on the screen:

J_ax stood on the balcony of his apartment at the dreaming facility and took her in his arms._

Now she understood; Jax had dreams of his own – dreams where they were together always... as the images on the screen shifted closer and they kissed, she looked down at Jax and saw a flicker of a smile play about his lips.

For a while the screen played out their kisses, their embrace, and then it was gone as he took another breath, the screen switched to static snow and the monitor flat lined.

Brenda was still holding his hand.

Jax had slipped away with a trace of a smile on his face, his last memory being of the dream world where he could be with her forever.

As the nurse returned to the room with other medical staff, Brenda shook her head as she stood up and let go of his hand.

"He won't respond to resuscitation, he was too far gone," she said as she wiped her eyes and glanced at the clock.

_"Time of death twenty-one thirty."_ Brenda whispered.

And she gently draped the sheet over his face and walked out of the room, leaving the others to disconnect the equipment.

* * *

The night went on.

Gadget was finally brought out of surgery just before midnight.

Brenda was still in shock at losing Jax; she had hoped the multiple implant system would have been enough to keep him alive, but the overdose had caused such terrible damage that it had been impossible.

Just after she had received the call explaining the outcome of Gadget's surgery, the phone rang again.

Brenda picked it up feeling shattered yet too numb to collapse and weep while she knew she was needed on duty.

She hadn't expected to hear from Quimby so late at night, but as he spoke he sounded overcome with worry.

"How's Gadget?"

"It's not good news," Brenda said quietly, "He's made it but we can't fully repair the torn cable... I don't know how long we can keep him alive. But I'll be here for him every day, we all will."

There was a pause.

"This is probably the worst time to tell you this, "the Chief began, "but while we were searching the dreaming facility my people came across a locked room. There's some kind of machine in there that's separate from the rest of the equipment and we don't know what the hell it is."

"He said he was building a time machine. I don't know if he got to finish it."

"Can he talk yet? Can't you ask him?" Quimby demanded.

Brenda took in a deep breath.

"_Jax died two hours ago."_

"I see," the Chief replied, "Well I'm sorry, Brenda. We all are - the way this has turned out...it's such a mess. We have to get to and from the East Side by ferry until the bridge is repaired. But the machine's being moved tonight. Perhaps you can make some time to come over to the lab at Braydon Industries – I want Taylor's people to take a look at it,"

Brenda's reply was tense.

"I appreciate the offer but Gadget's _life_ is in the balance. I can't leave him, Chief Quimby, not even for a time machine!"

Then Quimby said he would be in touch, and ended the call.

Brenda turned from her desk and gave a gasp, she had not expected to see Sanford Scolex standing there leaning on his cane as he fixed his gaze intently on her.

"_Time machine?" _he wondered, "Jax was building a _real_ time machine?"

"I can't discuss that," Brenda replied, and she walked out of her office.

Sanford followed her, guessing that if she wouldn't discuss it, that posed no problem at all when he knew Kramer would be happy to help...

Then his thoughts turned back to Gadget and he leaned harder on his cane as he hurried to catch up with Brenda, who was walking over to the waiting area.

As Sanford joined the others, he put his arm around Penny.

"I wanted to ask just now – but as you want to tell us all together I can only imagine the worst. How is he, Brenda?"

And Dr Bradford paused, trying to keep her composure.

It had been a terrible day, first losing Jax and now finding out the news about Gadget...

Penny had tears in her eyes. Bess looked utterly lost - as if she was desperate to grab at any shred of hope she could be offered.

Brenda spelled out the truth slowly and carefully, wishing things could be different, wishing none of this had happened:

"Gadget's currently stable – but _only_ because he's still receiving the transfusions of cybernetic fluid. We can't repair the cable to its former condition. If he improves, he can come off the fluid pump and go home, and he will need regular doses of fluid to top up all he's losing."

Bess blinked and tears ran down her face.

"He's slowly bleeding to death, that's what you're saying...stabilize him and take him home to die..."

"As things are, there is nothing else we can do but replace the fluid as he loses it. He's had a line fixed into his neck to deal with the loss and a second one to pump in fresh fluid as and when he needs it. This isn't a cure but he can last for a while like this. I don't know exactly how long...maybe a few weeks_...I'm sorry, but he is dying_."

Bess wrapped her arms tightly about her body and leaned forward as she gave a sob.

Penny was in Sanford's arms as she cried for her Uncle.

Taylor took hold of Emma's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I think we should pray for him," he said quietly, "Never give up on miracles, never underestimate God's power."

But as he held Penny in his arms, a very different thought ran through the mind of Sanford Scolex:

_That perhaps they should also not underestimate the possibility of help from the time machine..._

He knew he would have to call upon his old bad and devious ways, but if he could change the past, if he could use the machine to save the life of the man who had one been his enemy and then become his dearest friend, he would do it...and as he thought about the possibility, Sanford's old Claws days seemed to haunt him more than ever before - _if he had not turned to crime, Gadget would not have been caught in the explosion in the first place all those years before..._

Suddenly it all made perfect sense.

He knew what he had to do:

_He had to go back; he had to stop his younger self from turning to crime and becoming Claw._

_And along the way, he also intended to kill Jax Wilberforce, before he ever got a chance to end the life of Inspector Gadget._

Penny was still weeping in his arms.

He ran his hand over her hair and whispered words of comfort and the while, revenge burned in Sanford's eyes.

_Yes, he knew what had to be done, and he was going to do it, because there was no other way to change the outcome..._

The End.

* * *

**This ****TEN BOOK IG Fic**** series 2013 ****continues**** in Book 4: The Yesterday Man.**


End file.
